


Fusion for Freedom

by dreaming_up_aces



Category: Fusetale, Undertale, Undertale AU - Fandom, Undertale Fusion
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-27 14:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 45,172
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6287977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_up_aces/pseuds/dreaming_up_aces
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On Earth, there are two separate worlds. The Surface, where humans live, and the Underground, where monsters live. Sometimes, but not often, their worlds collide. Frisk, a young girl who is determined to discover what lies beyond the dangerous mountain, falls into the Underground, discovering a world she never could have dreamt of. When she discovers a power that is beyond any human or monster's imagination, the two worlds are flipped upside down. Frisk is the only bridge between - but faced with her power, can she break the barrier holding the monsters in place? Or will she return to the surface alone, knowing a secret that only she can keep?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

It began with a war. Long ago, two races ruled over the Earth: Humans and Monsters. One day, war broke out between the two species. They fought long and hard, but eventually, the humans were victorious. They forced the monsters underground, sealing them in their starless prison with a magic spell. The monsters were trapped by a magical barrier, one that would take seven human souls to break. The entrance to the Underground was marked by a large mountain, Mount Ebott. Anything could get in, but nothing could leave.

Legends on the surface say that those who climb Mount Ebott never return. Until now, those legends were true. But one soul is determined to find out what keeps people from not returning. Mount Ebott, 2016.

* * *

Our story begins not with a war, but with a fall. A very long fall. A scream ripped through the air, silenced by the rushing air around Frisk. Her voice felt pulled out of her throat as she fell for what seemed like infinity. Darkness surrounded her small, young body, and the small circle of blue sky above her was slowly shrinking. Frisk turned her body over, looking down at what was below her. The blackness even extended to below, and with force, Frisk turned her body back to the small blue speck of sky above her.

Frisk crashed into a small field of buttercups,

their soft petals brushing against Frisk’s skin. Frisk peeled her eyes open, looking around at the small field she was lying in. Light from the top of the mountain spilled down, lighting the flowers and Frisk, but not much else. Frisk felt a trail of blood run from her nose, like a miniature crimson river on her face. She wiped it away, looking into the darkness for some kind of sign. It looked like there was a small pathway leading away from the buttercups, so Frisk followed the path, her small feet taking them far, despite the soreness that was beginning to settle in from the fall.

Frisk walked for a bit, humming a small song to keep her mind from whatever lay ahead of her. The pathway opened up through an open door into a larger underground chamber, which was still dark, except for a small illuminated patch of grass. Frisk stared curiously at it, walking carefully towards it. A small flower, much like the buttercups Frisk had fallen on, appeared. The flower had a smiling face in its center, and Frisk was confused for a moment. The flower opened its mouth and began to speak in a high- pitched, almost childish voice.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey! Flowey the flower!” The flower paused, moving its floral head as though contemplating something. “Hmmm. You’re new to the Underground, aren’tcha?” Frisk nodded, a small smile on her face. _So that’s what this place is. The Underground._ “Golly, you must be so confused. Someone ought to teach you how things work around here!” Flowey looked around the dark chamber, and seeing no one around, shrugged his yellow petals. “I guess little old me will have to do.” Frisk stepped forward, closer into the circle of light. Flowey smiled. “Ready? Here we go!”

A Valentine’s- esque red heart began to glow on Frisk’s chest, illuminating the small cavern. Flowey looked at it, motioning with his petals. Frisk looked down at her own chest, seeing the edges of the heart against the pink and blue striped shirt she wore.

“See that heart? That is your soul, the very culmination of your being! Your soul starts off weak, but can grow stronger if you gain lots of LV!” Flowey pronounced both letters, the chipper tone in his childish voice ringing in Frisk’s ears.

“What’s LV?” Frisk asked, looking questioningly at the small flower.

“Why, Love, of course! You want some Love, don’t you?” Frisk nodded gleefully, her age clear in the action. Frisk was only ten, not old enough yet to know very much about the world around them. “Don’t worry, I’ll share some with you!” Flowey winked, and a small star seemed to shoot from his eye. “Down here, Love is shared through little, white, magical ‘friendliness pellets’.” Five small white pellets appeared around Flowey, and Frisk could feel her soul responding to them. Part of her wanted to run away, while another part was curious. The pellets spun in the air. “Are you ready? Move around! Get as many as you can!"

Frisk ran to catch the pellets, which were flying right at her. A few hit them, sending shooting pain through Frisk’s body. Frisk turned her head towards Flowey, whose face had turned demonic and evil looking. A sharp-edged smile and dark eyes had taken over the happy expression that had once been on the flower’s center. Dark shadows fell on his face, making him a frightful sight to Frisk.

“You idiot,” Flowey said, his voice sharp and angry. “In this world, it’s kill or be killed. Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?" Frisk felt trickles of blood running on her body, the soul on her chest glowing dimly. The magical bullets surrounded Frisk, swirling dangerously in the stale air of the cavern. Flowey’s face changed again, an evil expression on his face. “Die.” Flowey began to laugh as the bullets flew through the air towards Frisk.

Frisk tried to dodge the pellets, moving around, but her body and soul were surrounded by the magical bullets. Flowey continued to laugh as the bullets moved closer and closer to Frisk, whose small heart was pounding inside of her chest. Frisk squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the bullets with her small arms. The bullets swished through the air as they came closer and closer to Frisk, and Frisk whimpered as they came even closer.

Frisk felt a singular bullet touch her arm, briefly, and then the bullets disappeared. Frisk opened her eyes to see a ball of fire knocking Flowey away, making his magical bullets disappear. A tall monster stood in the shadows, the edge of a foot in the light. Frisk felt her soul strengthen, its glow brightening. Without the bullets surrounding her, the glow blinked away, leaving Frisk's chest as it had been before. The monster stepped into the light, a gentle smile on her face. She looked a lot like a goat, and she wore a long purple dress adorned with an emblem of some sort. Frisk looked up into her kind eyes, which were full of concern.

"What a terrible creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth..." the monster said, glancing over at Flowey, and then turning back to Frisk. "Ah, do not be afraid, my child. I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins. I pass through this place every day to see if anyone has fallen down. You are the first human to come here in a long time. Come! I will guide you through the catacombs." Toriel smiled down at Frisk, kneeling to inspect any wounds Frisk had. Thanks to Toriel, somehow, Frisk had healed when the bullets touched her. Seeing that she was okay, Toriel stood to her full height. "This way."

A large door, sculpted like a palace's door, opened in the end of the cavern. Toriel walked through it, and Frisk paused for a moment before she followed. She looked back to Flowey, noticing the slightly hurt and angry expression on his face. For a moment, she felt sorry for him, but when he smiled evilly at her, the feeling disappeared. Without another look, Frisk walked forward through the door, following Toriel.

* * *

The room that Frisk met Toriel in was purple toned, with a pair of large, ruined staircases leading up to another door. Red leaves littered the floor, and once Toriel saw Frisk, she began to lead the young human up the stairs. Frisk followed Toriel, taking in the sights of the new world around her. It was nothing like the surface, where cars rumbled down the streets and everyone seemed to be much busier, faster, with their technology and spinning minds. The Underground seemed quieter, calmer, almost. The shadow of the ruins loomed above Frisk, and she was determined to discover what lay ahead.

Toriel led Frisk into another room, where a puzzle laid across the floor. A large door blocked the path, and it was closed with the puzzle's mechanics.

"Welcome to your new home, innocent one," Toriel said, her hands clasped in front of her. "Allow me to educate you in the operation of the Ruins." Toriel demonstrated the puzzle by walking on parts of the switches on the floor, pressing down four of them and then going to the wall and flipping another switch. The large door rumbled open, creaking with age and grinding with the sound of stone- on- stone. Toriel walked back to Frisk, looking down with kindness in her dark eyes. "The Ruins are full of puzzles. Ancient fusions between diversions and doorkeys. One must solve them to move from room to room. Please adjust yourself to the sight of them." Frisk nodded, and Toriel nodded back, watching as Frisk stepped towards the door. Toriel turned, walking faster than Frisk to make sure that she stayed ahead. They moved through the door, into the next room.

"To make progress here, you will need to trigger several switches. Do not worry, I have labelled the ones you need to flip," Toriel said, motioning to a large wall behind her. Small rivers ran through the room, creeks really, and there were wooden bridges that covered them so that they could be crossed. Toriel walked to the end of the room, and Frisk noticed a large sign on the wall that said STAY ON THE PATH. Frisk followed the path, which was a lighter purple than the rest of the room. It branched to a switch in the wall, which had large yellow arrows pointing to it. Frisk moved towards it, grabbing the small yellow ball on the end of it and pulling down. There was a large mechanical sound, and Toriel nodded with satisfaction.

Frisk continued on the path, finding another branching path to another switch. There were two on the wall, but only one had yellow arrows pointing to it. Frisk moved towards the one with large arrows, pulling it down. Another mechanical sound shook the room, and Toriel clapped softly.

"Splendid! I am proud of you, little one. Let us move to the next room," Toriel said, motioning for Frisk to follow her.

"Okay," Frisk replied, following quickly behind the goat monster. She seemed a lot like a mother, and her kindness was clear in every word she spoke to Frisk. In the next room, there was a small dummy, which stood a bit taller than Frisk. It looked kind of like a mannequin, but softer and more like a monster. Toriel stood to the side of the dummy, her hands still clasped and down.

"As a human living in the Underground, monsters may attack you," Toriel began, and Frisk thought back to Flowey. It must have been evident on her face, because Toriel laughed gently. "Flowers, too. You will need to be prepared for this situation. However, worry not! The process is simple. If a monster tries to fight you, strike up a friendly conversation. Stall for time. I will come to resolve the conflict."

"Okay," Frisk answered warily. She didn't want to fight anyone, the one fight she had been in so far was no fun. It had been terrifying.

"Practice talking to the dummy," Toriel said, moving in front of the door. Frisk walked to the dummy, standing close to it, as if it were one of her friends in the orphanage she had lived in before falling down Mount Ebott.

"Hi," Frisk said to the dummy. The dummy didn't respond. "I'm Frisk." Toriel smiled at her, and Frisk continued. "What's your name?" The dummy stayed silent. "That's okay. I'll name you myself. Mr. Dummy. I like that name, do you, Mr. Dummy?" Toriel walked clapped softly, stopping Frisk's words.

"Ah, very good! You are very good," Toriel said. She turned and walked from the room, and Frisk looked at the dummy one last time.

"Goodbye, Mr. Dummy!" Frisk said, happily, following Toriel out of the room. The next room just had a turning path, and Toriel stood in front of the path, looking gently at Frisk.

"There is another puzzle in this room... I wonder if you can solve it?" Toriel walked away, letting Frisk see the full path. The purple tint had followed them through the Ruins, and even though they were underground, somehow, it was still well- lit and warm. Ivy clung to the walls, somehow growing even without sunlight. As Frisk walked through the chamber, she followed the pale purple path. The room turned into a thin passageway, and Toriel led Frisk through, walking a bit ahead of her. As Frisk followed, a small frog-like monster approached her, an angry look on its face.

The frog-like monster blocked Frisk's path, and Frisk remembered what Toriel had told her to do.  _Strike up a friendly conversation._ The frog monster grunted at Frisk, and Frisk smiled nervously.

"You look very nice today, Mr. Frog," Frisk said. The monster smiled widely. Toriel walked into the other monster's view, an angry expression on her face. She reminded Frisk of the orphanage's caretaker. The frog monster hung its head, shuffling away from Frisk. Toriel led Frisk farther into the chamber, and Frisk noticed a sign on the wall - THE WESTERN ROOM IS THE EASTERN ROOM'S BLUEPRINT.In the eastern room, there was a small lake, which was covered in a spiked puzzle. Toriel stopped before the small wooden bridge, turning around to face Frisk.

"This is the puzzle, but... Here, take my hand for a moment." Toriel offered Frisk her hand, which Frisk took. It was covered in soft white fur, and was strong in a very gentle way. Toriel led Frisk through the puzzle, and somehow, the two emerged unharmed. When they were back on the wood of the bridge, Toriel let go of Frisk's hand and turned to her. "Puzzles seem a little too dangerous for now."

Toriel led her through more of the ruins, testing her by leaving Frisk alone to walk to the other end of rooms. When Frisk came to the end of that long room, Toriel stopped her with a stern but soft look.

"There was an important reason for this excercise... to test your independence. I must attend to some business, and you must stay alone for a while. Please remain here. It's dangerous to explore by yourself." Toriel paused, worry flickering across her face. "I have an idea. I will give you a cell phone. If you have a need for anything, just call." Toriel handed Frisk an old cell phone, one that looked even older than the phones at the orphanage. It was like a dinosaur to Frisk, but she kept her mouth shut. "Be good, alright?" Frisk nodded, and Toriel left the room without looking back.

Immediately, Frisk decided to explore.

* * *

Frisk explored the Ruins, heading from room to room and solving puzzles. She got gold from monsters who attacked her, usually dropped on the ground as they left. She didn't fight them, just spoke to them until they didn't want to fight her. Attacking someone who would simply take it didn't seem to be much fun for them. Frisk found some monster candy along the way, which looked a lot like the Halloween candy the orphanage gave out on the holiday.

As she travelled the Ruins, Frisk came upon a ghost. It was lying in the path, pretending to sleep. She tried to move it with force, and the ghost got up, an apologetic look on its opaque face.

"Ooohhhhhh... I'm sorry... I come to the Ruins because it's quiet... I'm in your way..." the ghost said, a melancholy tone to his voice.

"It's okay. I'm Frisk. What's your name?" Frisk asked cheerfully. The ghost sighed.

"I'm Napstablook..." Frisk gave the ghost a patient smile.

"Do you want to hear a joke, Napstablook?" The ghost nodded sadly, keeping his eyes away from Frisk. "What kind of roads do ghosts haunt?" Napstablook shrugged. "Dead ends!" Napstablook laughed, a sad expression still on his face.

"Let me try..." Napstablook began to cry, but his ghostly tears flew upwards, creating a wobbly hat on his ghostly head. Frisk smiled widely, clapping quietly like Toriel had done. "I call it Dapper Blook... Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Frisk cried, her grin making her cheeks ache.

"Today I met somebody nice... Oh, I'm rambling again... I'll get out of your way..." Napstablook floated away, his hat disappearing as he did. Frisk waved goodbye. Frisk explored the ruins more, finding a spider bakesale, which she bought a doughnut from. Frisk solved more puzzles in the rooms as she went, meeting lots of other monsters. Some looked like carrots, while others looked too afraid to even talk to her. Some were mean, but most just seemed confused to have someone new in their home. One even looked like a monster from a movie she had seen on the surface, before she fell.

Frisk continued to explore, coming upon a large room that led to two places. One room had a small toy knife in it. Frisk picked it up, in case any monsters could be fooled into thinking it was real. She hadn't fought any monsters, and she didn't plan on it, but it would be nice to pretend that she was dangerous. The other room, which Frisk went into next, had a large tree in it, surrounded by red leaves. Toriel stood behind the tree, calling Frisk. When Toriel heard the ring of the cell phone, she raced around the tree to see Frisk.

"How did you get here, my child? Are you hurt?" Toriel examined Frisk, who had a few cuts from being attacked, but nothing serious. "There, there, I will heal you. I should not have left you alone for so long. It was irresponsible to try to surprise you like this. Err, well, I suppose I cannot hide it any longer. Come, small one!" Toriel led Frisk past the large tree, where a small, tidy house stood. Standing in the middle of the ruins, which were so filled with confusing puzzles and crumbling buildings, it made Frisk determined to stay alive.

Inside the house, Toriel showed Frisk to her room. Frisk saw a small bed and some toys, as well as a lot of children's shoes in a random assortment of sizes. None of them fit Frisk's feet. After trying them all, she took them off and crawled into the bed, falling asleep.

* * *

When Frisk awoke, there was a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie by her bed. Frisk picked it up, deciding that she would save it for later. Frisk walked out of her room, exploring the house. There was a downstairs, but Frisk wasn't curious enough to go down yet. One room had a sign on it saying that it was under renovations. Frisk left Toriel's room alone, although she noticed that it contained joke books and quite a bit of blue furniture. The child's room had been red.

Frisk walked to the living room, where Toriel sat by a fire, reading a book. When Frisk entered the room, Toriel closed her book, a smile on her face.

"How did you sleep, my child?" Toriel asked. Frisk sat on the floor next to the fire.

"Good. You can call me Frisk, by the way," Frisk answered, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Okay, Frisk. What do you like to do?"

"I like to dance. And explore."

"I think you've had enough exploration for the day, small one. How about we dance instead? I know how to waltz, I could teach you."

"Waltz?" Frisk asked, having never heard the word. Toriel nodded and smiled widely.

"I waltzed at my wedding. It's very simple. Do you want me to show you?"

"Sure!" Frisk said cheerfully, and Toriel stood. She put a record in an old record player, something that Frisk had only seen in movies. Soft guitar music filled the room, a song Frisk hadn't heard before.

"Just follow my lead, Frisk. It's very simple. The counts are one, two, three. One, two, three." Toriel spoke the numbers in a rhythm, guiding Frisk's small body with her hands. Frisk followed, laughing as she messed up the foot motions. Toriel laughed with her, helping her dance the waltz correctly. Finally, Frisk caught on to the rhythm. Frisk's soul began to glow on her chest, a red heart that filled her face with color. Toriel's own chest began to glow, revealing a lavender color. Frisk closed her eyes, falling into step with the monster that was much taller than her. Toriel laughed, spinning Frisk around.

When Frisk opened her eyes, she was much taller than she had been before. She opened her mouth, confusion filling her mind. A long dress brushed against her legs, and when Frisk looked down, she not only saw a curvaceous chest, but a striped purple dress that had long sleeves. Fur covered Frisk's hands. No, Toriel's hands. No, Frisk's hands. Frisk moved her arms, Toriel's arms, feeling the body that she found herself in. Toriel did the same. Frisk opened her mouth, but when she spoke, a voice that was unlike hers formed the words. It wasn't Toriel, but it wasn't Frisk. It was somewhere in-between.

"What the...?"

 

 


	2. Something Entirely New

"What...What is this?" Toriel, Frisk, Toriel... Frisk couldn't tell what was her and what was Toriel, or if anything was her, and if anything was Toriel. Frisk was scared. Toriel was confused. They were...confused and scared and something else. Something  _new_ , something  _different._  Frisk moved their hands, but Toriel didn't and whatever they had become fell apart.

"My child, are you alright?" Toriel asked Frisk, who was wrapped around her chest in a tight hug. "Frisk?"

"Toriel?" Frisk loosened her grip on the monster, looking up into her large brown eyes. "What happened?"

"I'm... not sure, small one. Something certainly did, though. I'll read about it in some of my books, okay? How about you have some more of that pie I made?" Toriel put Frisk onto the floor, patting her head gently and letting Frisk run along. Frisk closed her eyes, remembering the feeling of being not herself, but not Toriel. Being..something more, but something less.

Frisk sat at the small table, picking at a piece of pie. She took small bites, not really hungry, but wanting to pretend like she was doing as she was told. Part of her wanted to continue with her adventure, go home, find out what was underground, but another part of her wanted to stay. Toriel sat in her chair by the fire, poring over books. She had a large pile by her chair, and even more that she had already read. Frisk took a small bite of the pie, its flavor exploding on her tongue. Cinnamon and butterscotch, a fusion she never thought would have been good.

Toriel and Frisk, a...something. Something good? Frisk didn't know, it was confusing and slightly scary. She had danced with people on the surface, back at the orphanage, but nothing like that had ever happened before. They had stayed seperate, two different people. Dancing with Toriel had been different. They hadn't stayed two different people, they had become one. One person, one body with..two souls? One soul?

Frisk wanted to try it again, see if it would happen again, see if they could melt into each other, become something else. Something bigger than they had been before. Frisk took another bite of pie, her empty hand's small fingers drumming against the wooden table she sat at. Toriel was reading quickly, searching for something similar to what had just happened. Nothing she had seen in her books or ever before compared to the feeling of what had just went on.

After a few hours of the two lost in their own thoughts, Toriel closed her book and looked over at Frisk.

"Maybe you ought to go back to sleep, small one. After what has just occurred... It would be best for you to rest," Toriel said, and Frisk nodded, standing up from her half- eaten plate of pie. She slowly walked back to the red room she had slept in before, a dull ache resting in her bones. Was it because of what they had become? Frisk stretched out her fingers, staring at them. When she closed her eyes, she could remember the white fur covering them, the soft edges and long sleeves on the dress that she...they...had worn. Frisk opened her eyes, and it was just her skin, a little muddy from the fall. She was Frisk, nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

"Do you think we should try it again?" Frisk asked Toriel the next morning, looking up at the curvy woman. She was making breakfast with fire magic, but it was snails, and Frisk didn't think it sounded very appetizing. "The dancing, I mean. And whatever happened next."

"Try it again?" Toriel paused for a moment, thinking. The fire magic she was using dimmed, and when Toriel realized, she lit it back up, watching the flames dance as they cooked the breakfast. She had stayed up all night, reading through her history books, but nothing she read made any sense in connection to what had happened between Frisk and Toriel last night. It didn't make any logical sense, nothing had ever happened like this before, that she could tell. Even in her records and memories of the human and monster war, Toriel couldn't remember anything like that happening.

"To see what would happen. It was..interesting." Frisk looked up at Toriel, who looked deeply into the small human's eyes. She looked quite a bit like someone Toriel used to care for, someone Toriel used to love. A gentle, sad smile came to the tall monster's face. "Please, Mom?" At the word _Mom_ , Toriel caved.

"Okay, my child. If you think it's best," Toriel said, placing a warm hand on Frisk's head. Frisk smiled happily, and Toriel smiled back, forcing the sadness from her smile. "After breakfast, though."

"Okay," Frisk answered, raising her small hands to carry the breakfast to the table. Toriel smiled down at the small human now under her care. Frisk's hair was a little shorter than shoulder length, and she had a small face that was slightly tanned and had large, curious brown eyes. Frisk had a bandage on her arm, which looked like it was barely sticking to her skin and was covered in grime and dirt. She also wore a striped tee shirt of reddish pink and blue, and blue capris. Toriel handed a warm plate of food to Frisk, who carried it out to the table.

The two ate in silence, both lost in thought about the events of the night before. It wasn't quite Frisk, and it wasn't quite Toriel, but they hadn't been one person. Or two people. They had been something in between, an experience. Something entirely new. When Frisk and Toriel were finished, Toriel stood, smoothing the wrinkles in her purple dress. She nodded at Frisk, a serious, set look in her eyes. Frisk nodded back, and Toriel started the music.

At first the dancing felt strict and formed, as though there was a strong pattern in the way they were stepping. Frisk felt like it was incredibly serious, the rhythm of the song dictating exactly when she would step. As the two continued to dance, though, the steps became more fluid and dance-like, and Frisk felt herself smiling as they fell into the rhythm. The soul on Frisk's chest began to flicker red, and Toriel's flickered softly with a dark purple.

The dancing escalated with the music, which seemed to grow louder and louder as Toriel spun Frisk around. They were waltzing just as they had done the night before, the rhythm easily settling into both of their bones. 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3. Frisk closed her eyes as Toriel spun her one more time, and the soul on her chest began to burn brightly. The spin continued, the music playing loudly through Frisk's head. Toriel's soul grew brighter, too, and she closed her eyes, catching Frisk's spin. Their souls glowed brightly together, making the room fill with color.

When the two opened their eyes, there was no longer two of them. There was one, one body, two souls. Two eyes, white fur, two legs, two arms, a dress...Toriel, Frisk, Toriel. Something different. There was a word, something that they needed to say, but couldn't find the word. Somehow, the two, one, two, walked down the hallway to a mirror that hung on the wall.

Frisk and Toriel looked into the reflection of their new form. It was semi-human, with Toriel's white fur and long ears, but Frisk's large curious eyes and small, determined and strong features. They looked older, like an age between Frisk and Toriel. Toriel, Frisk, Toriel, Frisk. It wasn't half- and- half, it wasn't something that either of them had ever experienced. Frisk moved her hand, no Toriel moved her hand, no Frisk, to the face of the new form, feeling it. Long brown hair grew on the form's head, around the ears, and fell in a long pony tail down the back. It was bubbled, the hair turned into little spheres.

The form also wore a long dress, ankle- length, that was striped vertically deep purple and reddish- pink. It was long sleeved, tight on the sleeves but mostly loose on the rest of the body. The form had the rune on Toriel's dress on it, and a soul glowed at the base of Toriel, Frisk, Toriel's throat. It was a deep purple-ish red, the color of mulberry jam. The soul glowed brighter, the edges burning both a deep purple and red. On instinct, Frisk, Toriel, Frisk pressed the hand to the soul, feeling something solid under it.

They pulled, together, bringing a long, flaming sword from the soul. It was long, double edged, and straight. The hilt was striped with the same colors as their form's dress, and the blade burned with bright fire. Standing back from the mirror, holding the long flaming sword across the body, Toriel, Frisk, Toriel, Frisk found the word they had been searching for. Together, they opened the form's mouth.

"Kindness," they breathed together.

* * *

"When can I go home?" Frisk asked Toriel the next day. Her skin still tingled with the feeling of Kindness, and in her mind's eye, she could still picture the reflection. They were powerful, the feeling of both souls combined. There was no rhyme or reason to it, but she wanted to continue her journey, to learn what lay beyond the ruins.

"What? This... this _is_ your home now, my child," Toriel answered, reading her book. Toriel had journaled about the events of the last few days, hoping to figure out what was going on. Frisk called it fusion, the way their souls had combined to produce something different. "Um, would you like to hear about this book I am reading? It is called '72 Uses for Snails'." Toriel showed Frisk the cover, but Frisk simply shook her head. There was more to this new world than just the Ruins, she could feel it. "How about it?"

"How do I leave the Ruins?" Frisk asked, the determination clear on her face.

"I have to do something. Stay here," Toriel said, standing and leaving the living room. Frisk watched her go, remembering the feeling of being a part of Toriel, and Toriel being a part of her. After a few moments, Frisk searched the house, looking for Toriel. There were a set of stairs that they hadn't bothered, and once Frisk had checked all of the rooms except for the locked one, she stepped downstairs.

Toriel stood in the hallway, her head down, hands clasped in front of her stomach. Frisk could see it in her posture that she was broken hearted, a memory and heartache clear in the way she stood. Frisk came close, afraid to reach out and scare the woman who had saved her only a few days ago.

"You wish to know how to return 'home', do you not?" Toriel paused, lifting her head and looking down the hallway. She didn't look at Frisk at all, but the way she stood let Frisk know that she was lost in her own pain. "Ahead of us lies the end of the Ruins. A one-way exit to the rest of the Underground." Toriel paused again, swallowing thickly. When the tall monster closed her eyes, she could feel the way she had felt when she had been a part of Kindness. "I am going to destroy it. No one will ever be able to leave again." Toriel turned back, her dark eyes even darker and full of heartache. "Now be a good child and go upstairs."

Toriel walked down the hallway, tearing her eyes from Frisk and leaving her alone at the edges of the basement. Frisk paused for a moment, gathering her courage and following the tall goat monster. Frisk took small steps, trying to be quiet as she stood behind Toriel. Toriel didn't turn, but her shoulders stood taut.

"Every human that falls down here meets the same fate. I have seen it again and again. They come. They leave." Toriel swallowed thickly, dropping her head and speaking in a whisper. Her shoulders shook with holding back tears. "They die." Toriel wiped her eyes, adressing Frisk with her voice but not her eyes. "You naive child... If you leave the Ruins... They... Asgore... Will kill you. I am only protecting you, do you understand?" Toriel stood up, her full posture tall and strong. "...go to your room." Toriel walked away, and Frisk followed.

The hallway turned sharply, and Toriel stood in the corner, still facing away from Frisk. Frisk reached out, but let her hand fall short behind her. Toriel sighed.

"Do not try to stop me," she said, an immense tiredness taking over her voice and body. "This is your final warning." Toriel walked away, and Frisk followed her quickly, no longer caring if the monster knew she was behind her. Frisk had to leave the Ruins, had to find out what lay beyond the large door that Toriel now stood in front of. Toriel faced the door, not looking at Frisk. The room was dark and shadowed, but Frisk was not afraid. "You want to leave so badly? Hmph. You are just like the others. There is only one solution to this."

Frisk's mind leapt back to Kindness, to the flaming sword and the dress, and the powerful soul that they had posessed together. Frisk could remember the feeling of not being quite herself, not being someone else, not being all human, not being a person. Frisk, Toriel, Frisk.  _Fusion._ The feeling that they had made together, the view of their souls combined and melded into something more than what they were, it was amazing. Something new, unknown. A new territory that Frisk wanted to explore. But what would it feel like, being with a different monster? Being not part of Toriel, but being a part of someone else, someone new? Frisk was determined to find out.

"Prove yourself... Prove to me you are strong enough to survive." Toriel turned to face Frisk, her hands alight with flame. Frisk wanted to flinch in fear, but she held her ground. The large door behind Toriel was the one that Frisk was aching to get out of, to find what existed just beyond the door. Toriel blocked the way of the door, her hands the only light source in the dim room. Fire magic began to fly through the air around Frisk, landing dangerously close to her. She dodged them, but one hit her, burning her arm. Toriel looked through her, trying to mask the concern on her face for the burn on the small human.

Frisk opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say to Toriel, but no words came to mind. Toriel threw more magic at her, which Frisk stood against, letting it hit her. Toriel didn't dare kill her, it wasn't in her heart. Frisk had been a part of Toriel's heart, a part of Toriel's mind. There was no way that Toriel, with all her heartache and kindness, could kill a child. Frisk was burnt, but not badly. She tried to speak again, feeling a bit weaker than she had, but to no avail. No words seemed to match what she wanted to say.

Frisk stood, refusing to fight as Toriel prepared more attacks. She began to act aloof. A questioning expression came to Toriel's face, and she paused her attacks to look through Frisk and speak.

"What are you doing?" Frisk continued to take the attacks, dodging them where she could. Her burns bled, and the heat of the flame around them cracked Frisk's lips. Toriel's fire avoided Frisk's body, flying far around it as she sent more attacks. Toriel took a deep breath. "Attack or run away!" she cried, her voice cracking. Frisk shook her head, refusing. In her mind, she thought of Kindness, knowing it came less from her and more from Toriel. "What are you proving this way?" Frisk stood, barely able to stand. It felt as though she was close to death, and Toriel could see it. "Fight me or leave!" Toriel cried, but Frisk refused to do either.

The fire magic flew through the air around Frisk, not coming any closer to her than five feet. Frisk stood, the pain coursing through her skin and muscles. Toriel looked like she was also in pain, and Frisk felt a twinge of pain in her chest. Her soul was glowing dimly red on her chest, flickering with the pain and the edge of death. Frisk could no longer stand, she fell to her knees, trying to stay alive through the pain.

"I know you want to go home, but..." Toriel started. Frisk could not reply. "But please, go upstairs now." Frisk simply shook her head. "I promise, I will take good care of you here." Frisk shook her head again, swallowing thickly and trying to keep her eyes open at the pain. Toriel knelt in front of Frisk, looking into her eyes. "I know we do not have much but... We can have a good life here." Frisk lifted her head, a trickle of blood running from a burned cut on her cheek. Pain swam in her curious brown eyes, and Toriel could feel her heart breaking once again. "Why are you making this so difficult?" Frisk shrugged, trying to smile. "Please, go upstairs," Toriel tried again.

Frisk wiped the blood away gingerly, smiling up at Toriel. Toriel frowned, but then smiled back, deep sadness in her dark eyes.

"Ha ha... Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child." The two paused, and a silent conversation seemed to pass between them. Frisk needed to learn more about the fusion, and Toriel couldn't stop her. "No, I understand... You would just be unhappy trapped down here. The Ruins are very small once you get used to them. It would not be right for you to grow up in a place like this. My expectations. My loneliness. My fear... For you, my child, I will put them aside." Toriel helped Frisk stood, letting the human girl lean heavily against her. "If you truly wish to leave the Ruins... I will not stop you. However, when you leave..." Toriel swallowed thickly, looking down at Frisk. Blood and burns covered her small body, and her clothing was dirty with smoke. "Please do not come back. I hope you understand."

Toriel hugged Frisk tightly, healing her with magic. Frisk smiled, hugging her tightly back. A tear slipped down Frisk's cheek, and Toriel held on for as long as Frisk did. The tall monster held back tears, hiding it from Frisk with a soft, sad smile.

"Goodbye, my child," Toriel said, standing. She walked back down the hallway, towards the stairs into her house. Toriel turned back to look at Frisk, but Frisk could not force herself to look back. When Toriel's footsteps disappeared, Frisk took a deep breath and stepped forward. She pushed the heavy door open and stepped into the snow.


	3. Winter Forecast

Frisk's small shoes crunched against the snow. It was cold, and for a moment, Frisk wondered how it snowed underground. The thought flew quickly from her mind though as the silence of the cavern surrounded her. For a moment, Frisk tried to return to the Ruins, but the large door was only ablex to open from the other side, and it was locked and heavy. Frisk sighed, watching the puffs of her warm breath dancing through the air around her.

A path in the snow was clear before her, surrounded by tall trees that tricked Frisk into believing she was outside. With a final glance back at the large doors to the Ruins, Frisk stepped forward down the path. Her footsteps seemed to echo in the quiet, making the new surroundings eerie and stranger than they already were. Frisk considered humming to fill the silence, but with Toriel's warning still fresh in her mind, Frisk thought better of it.

A branch lay in the path, and Frisk stepped carefully over it, trying to make as little noise as possible. Frisk walked forward a few steps, the feeling of being watched making her shrug her shoulders and try not to let a shiver run down her spine. She couldn't fight the feeling though as she continued on, and partially due to the cold, Frisk felt a shiver prickle run down her spine. A large gate loomed ahead of Frisk, its bars far apart but attempting to block the road. It could easily be passed through, though.

The sound of a cracking branch broke the silence. Frisk turned around, but no one was there. Frisk turned forward, walking towards the gate. She stopped in between steps, trying to determine if the echoing crunch of snow was truly an echo or if someone was behind her. Frisk walked to the large gate, its giant shadow glowering above her. Suddenly, it seemed as though she couldn't turn around, forced to look through the gate's largely spaced bars. The distinct sound of snow crunching beneath feet crackled through the silent air, and Frisk felt a tingle of fear on her chilled skin.

"Human." Frisk could feel a presence behind her, very close, and the deep, unfamiliar voice made Frisk shiver. "Don't you know how to greet a new pal?" Frisk was reminded of the initial kindness of Flowey, the way he had called pretended to be so kind.  _Pal_ made Frisk remember those moments after she had fallen, the fear she was holding under her skin. "Turn around and shake my hand."

Frisk turned, looking at the dark figure. The monster extended its hand, and Frisk warily shook it. A farting noise erupted through the quiet, snowy forest. A skeleton stood before her, short and big-boned, wearing a white tee shirt underneath a blue hoodie and a pair of black basketball shorts. On his feet were a pair of fuzzy, slightly worn, pink slippers. The skeleton laughed, his ribcage and the illusion of a stomach shaking.

"Heheh... The old whoopee cushion in the hand trick. It's _always_ funny." The skeleton laughed some more, adjusting his hoodie against the cold. Frisk sniffled, her nose starting to run in the freezing temperatures. Her shorts and tee shirt weren't made for the cold weather. "Anyways, you're a human, right? That's hilarious." The skeleton laughed again, and Frisk could tell he was a funny monster. "I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. I'm actually supposed to be on watch for humans right now. But... Y'know... I don't really care about capturing anybody."

Frisk shivered in the cold. Now that she had a face to put the deep voice to, it didn't seem as scary or uncomfortable. The deep bass coming from the skeleton's non-existent vocal chords seemed comforting. It was like an old friend, and Frisk was vaguely reminded of an old man who sometimes came and read to the kids in the orphanage. He also had a deep, comforting voice, and he was really good at giving characters voices. He read Frisk great adventures, and they read them together, Frisk reading all the female voices and the man reading all the male voices. They were fond, fuzzy memories, but for some reason, Frisk couldn't remember his name.

"Now my brother, Papyrus... He's a human-hunting  _fanatic_. Hey, actually, I think that's him over there. I have an idea." Sans paused, motioning to the large gate behind Frisk. "Go through this gate thingy. Yeah, go right through. My bro made the bars too wide to stop anyone." Sans followed Frisk as she stepped through, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his blue hoodie. Frisk wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm up.

Beyond the gate was an outcropping in the path, which held a little station and a lamp. The lamp was the exact size of Frisk, which was odd, but Frisk shrugged it off. It was dark blue on the bottom and light blue on the shade, and it both blended in and stood out from the bluish, snowy landscape surrounding it.

"Quick, behind that conveniently-shaped lamp," Sans said, and Frisk did as she was told, hiding behind the lamp. Snow crunched, and Frisk listened to the conversation, staring into the forest and unable to see what was going on. "Sup, bro?" Sans asked, and Frisk realized that the crunch of snow must have been Papyrus' footsteps.

"You know what 'sup,' brother!" a high tenor voice cried loudly. "It's been eight days and you still haven't... Recalibrated. Your. Puzzles!" Frisk realized that the speaker must be Papyrus, and she immediately began to picture what he looked like. A voice that high had to come out of a tall body, and if he was Sans' brother, he also had to be a skeleton. He seemed quite a bit more high-strung than Sans, but Frisk couldn't picture what his clothing would be like. "You just hang around outside your station! What are you even doing?!?"

"Staring at this lamp. It's really cool. Do you wanna look?" Frisk shook in her shoes, but Papyrus' response quickly put her fears to rest.

"No!! I don't have time for that!! What if a human comes through here!?! I want to be ready!!!" Frisk was suddenly very glad for the lamp, and also Papyrus' lack of interest in it. "I will be the one! I must be the one! I will capture a human! Then, I, The Great Papyrus... will get all the things I utterly deserve! Respect... Recognition... I will finally be able to join the Royal Guard! People will ask, to, be my 'friend?' I will bathe in a shower of kisses every morning."

"Hmm... Maybe this lamp will help you," Sans replied. Snow crunches followed, and Frisk pictured the tall skeleton, who at this point in her imagination just wore a copy of Sans' clothes, stamping his foot.

"Sans!! You are not helping!! You lazybones!! All you do is sit and boondoggle!" Frisk wondered what  _boondoggle_ meant, but she didn't dare ask. "You get lazier and lazier every day!!!"

"Hey, take it easy. I've gotten a  _ton_ of work done today. A skele- _ton._ " Sans winked at the lamp, which Frisk saw, and she held back a giggle.

"Sans!!!" Papyrus cried, his frustration clear.

"Come on. You're smiling," Sans said to his brother.

"I am and I hate it!" Papyrus sighed. "Why does someone as great as me... Have to do so much just to get some recognition..."

"Wow, sounds like you're really working yourself... down to the  _bone."_ Sans cut Papyrus off with the joke. Frisk snorted quietly, trying to keep quiet behind the lamp.

"Ugh!!! I will attend to my puzzles... As for your work? Put a little more, 'backbone' into it!!!!" Papyrus laughed at his own joke, high-pitched and nasal. "Nyehehehehehehe!!!" Snow crunched under Papyrus' feet as he walked away, but just as the sound began to fade, it returned. "Heh!" The crunch of snow faded away, and Sans walked closer to the lamp.

"Okay, you can come out now." Frisk stepped out from behind the lamp, the cold hitting her worse after not moving for a bit. She walked towards Sans, who turned to her. "You oughta get going. He might come back. And if he does..." Sans winked at Frisk, which was seemingly impossible since he was a skeleton. Frisk just rolled with it. "...you'll have to sit through more of my hilarious jokes." Frisk laughed, and Sans did too, letting Frisk walk further down the path. She walked through the snowy forest, no longer feeling as though she was being watched. Before she got out of the clearing though, Sans' voice stopped her. "Actually, hey... Hate to bother ya, but can you do me a favor? I was thinking... My brother's been kinda down lately... He's never seen a human before. And seeing you might just make his day." Frisk moved around in the snow, in the same spot, her shoes crunching the snow flat.

It was cold. Freezing cold, actually. Frisk could remember the warmth of Toriel's house, and suddenly she wished she had never left. Frisk would give anything to be back in the Ruins. Or back on the Surface. The Underground wasn't quite like the flower, Flowey, had made it out to be, but Frisk was missing her home.

"Don't worry, he's not dangerous. Even if he tries to be. Thanks a million. I'll be up ahead." Sans walked off, in the opposite direction of 'up ahead', heading back towards the gate Frisk had walked through. Frisk had a moment of confusion, but she shrugged it off, walking forward along the path.  Trees lined the path, pines that were covered in snow and reminded Frisk of Christmas.

There was a box near the side of the road, and Frisk opened it, finding a slightly worn, but tough glove inside. She took it, stuffing it inside her pockets. There was only one, and it wasn't very warm, so she decided maybe it would be good to have as defense against the attacks monsters seemed to like to throw at her. The path branched upwards, and Frisk explored, finding a fishing rod with a picture and a phone number attatched to it. Frisk decided not to call.

Frisk walked forward through the path, and found it blocked by Sans and Papyrus. Papyrus was a tall, thin skeleton, much like Frisk had imagined. He wore something like a costume, with a white shirt over his ribcage and a red scarf. His legs, arms and spine were covered in stretchy black fabric, and across his pelvis was a pair of blue Underoos. Papyrus also wore tall red boots, and when he saw Frisk, he turned to Sans. Sans turned back, and they quickly began to switch positions, one facing Frisk and the other staring at his brother. Frisk noticed that all of Papyrus' clothing was lined with gold, except for his boots and scarf. Papyrus and Sans both ended up facing away from Frisk, still blocking the path.

"Sans!! Oh my God!! Is that...a human!?!?!??!?!" Papyrus asked loudly. The tall skeleton, who seemed younger than Sans, seemed to have a bad habit of shouting everything he said. Sans and Papyrus turned back around, and Sans opened his mouth to speak.

"Uhhhhh... Actually, I think that's a rock." Frisk had stepped over a rock as she had walked on the path. It took everything in her not to smile.

"Oh," Papyrus said, disappointed.

"Hey, what's that in front of the rock?" Sans asked his brother. Papyrus turned to look, and his eyesockets seemed to light up.

"Oh my God!!!" Papyrus turned to Sans, doing his best to whisper. "Is... Is that a human?"

"Yes," Sans answered. He seemed to eternally have a grin plastered to his skull.

"Oh my God!!! Sans! I finally did it!! Undyne will... I'm gonna... I'll be so... Popular!!! Popular!!! Popular!!!" Papyrus set his eyes on Frisk, and even though he didn't really have eyes, Frisk could tell he was looking at her. The tall skeleton cleared his throat. "Human! You shall not pass this area! I, the Great Papyrus, will stop you!!! I will then capture you! You will be delivered to the capital! Then... Then!!! I'm not sure what's next. In any case! Continue... Only if you dare!!! Nyeh heh heh heh heh heh!!!" Papyrus walked away, leaving Frisk a few feet away from Sans.

"Well, that went well. Don't sweat it, kid. I'll keep an eyesocket out for ya." Sans winked at Frisk, and she smiled gratefully before Sans walked off. After a few moments, she followed, hoping to find somewhere to warm up soon.

* * *

Frisk continued on through the Underground, slowly growing both adjusted to the cold and colder at the same time. She fought a dog who couldn't seem to see moving things, so she stayed completely still as he threw swords across her. They were blue, and Frisk found if she kept completely still, they didn't hurt her at all. Right after that fight, Sans explained blue attacks. They were like a stop sign, only blue instead of red. Frisk walked away from the conversation slightly confused, but it made sense.

Frisk walked on, fighting a few more dogs. She didn't hurt any of them, and although she walked out of a few fights with cuts, she wasn't hurt too badly. Finally, after more puzzles with Sans and Papyrus, Frisk came to a small town called Snowdin. Frisk laughed to herself as she stepped in a small shop, remembering that Sans had told her that Papyrus was wearing a costume he called his 'Battle Body'. Inside the shop, it was warm and inviting. Frisk breathed a sigh of relief as she warmed herself inside.

"Hi," Frisk said cautiously, trying to warm up. The tall monster, who reminded Frisk of a bunny, smiled cheerfully.

"Hiya! Welcome to Snowdin! I can't remember the last time I saw a fresh face around here. Where did you come from? The capital? You don't look like a tourist. Are you here by yourself?"

"Yes," Frisk answered quietly. The bunny smiled kindly, noticing how young Frisk was.

"Well, why don't I give you a cinnamon bun and let you warm up?" Frisk nodded, thankful for the monster's kindness. The monster motioned to a small table next to the counter, and Frisk sat down gratefully. The bunny-like monster set a large, warm cinnamon roll in front of Frisk. She took a large bite, and once she had swallowed, Frisk asked the monster a question.

"So what is there to do here?"

"You want to know what to do here in Snowdin?" the monster asked. "Grillby's has food, and the library has information... If you're tired, you can take a nap at the inn. It's right next door - my sister runs it. And if you're bored, you can sit outside and watch those wacky skeletons do their thing. There's two of 'em... Brothers, I think. They just showed up one day and...asserted themselves. The town has gotten a lot more interesting since then." The bunny paused, noting the look of recognition crossing Frisk's face. "You know them, huh? You ought to go hunt them down, then. I hear they're looking for someone who looks like you."

"Really?" Frisk asked, taking another large bite of the cinnamon roll. The bunny monster nodded, and Frisk stuffed the rest of the roll into her mouth. It was flavorful, but it didn't seem like it was human food. There was something more magical about it, something  _more_ than just a cinnamon roll. "Okay. Thank you, Miss!" Frisk called as she left the shop. The bunny monster waved, a kind smile on her furry face.

Frisk walked through Snowdin, stopping at the library on the way to read some books. She learned quite a bit about the history of the Underground, and she even met some nice people. There was a locked house with a locked shed next to it, and judging by the two mailboxes next to the house, it belonged to Sans and Papyrus. Frisk walked on, snow flurrying through her feild of vision until the path ahead of her was completely blanketed in white.

A shadow emerged from the haze of snow, and Frisk recognized the skeletal outline of Papyrus. He held a long, heavy bone, a magical attack. Papyrus didn't seem to be threatening her with it, though, so Frisk didn't feel afraid.

"Human. Let me tell you about some complex feelings. Feelings like... the joy of finding another pasta lover. The admiration for another's puzzle-solving skills. The desire to have a cool, smart person think you are cool. These feelings... they must be what you are feeling right now!!!" The beginning of Papyrus' speech had seemed rather out of character, but when he said his last sentence, Frisk recognized the skeleton she had met before. "I can hardly imagine what it must be like to feel that way. After all, I am very great. I don't ever wonder what having lots of friends is like. I pity you... Lonely human... Worry not!!! You shall be lonely no longer! I, the Great Papyrus, will be your... No... No, this is all wrong! I can't be your friend!!!"

"Why not?" Frisk asked quietly. Papyrus continued on.

"You are a human! I must capture you!!! Then, I can fulfill my lifelong dream!!! Powerful! Popular! Prestigious!!! That's Papyrus!!! The newest member... of the Royal Guard!" Papyrus blocked the way of the path, sending bones up through the snow around Frisk. None of them came close enough to touch her, though, and Frisk quickly became confused. She winked at Papyrus, and his bones turned a bright shade of red, as though the tall skeleton was blushing.

"I won't fight you, Papyrus," Frisk said. Papryus straightened his back, and even through the snow, Frisk could see her heart glowing brightly red.

"So you won't fight... Then, let's see if you can handle my fabled 'blue attack!'" Blue bones flew through the air, and Frisk stood perfectly still. They didn't hurt her as they passed through, mostly just tickled. When the attack was over, Frisk's heart felt heavy, and Frisk looked down to see that it was glowing dark blue. A small bone came up from under the snow, and Frisk found that she couldn't jump over it. It cut into her skin a bit, exposing her to the cold. "You're blue now. That's my attack!"

The blueness of her heart made avoiding the magical bone attacks Papyrus was using much harder. The bones rammed into Frisk, making her bruised and bloody as the fight went on. Finally, when she could no longer keep her eyes open from pain and she fell to her knees into the snow, Papyrus stopped his attacks. Frisk's vision flickered into blackness, and the last thing she felt was Papyrus' arms around her small, cold body.


	4. Catch and Release

Frisk opened her eyes, suddenly warmed by her surroundings. Her body ached, and she found that she was laying on a couch, facing a flat screen television. As her vision focused, Frisk could see that the carpet was a zig-zag pattern of light blue and purple, and next to the television was a sock that seemed to have quite a few sticky notes stuck to it, each of them on top of each other. There was a table that Frisk could see, which held a small rock on it. There was a doorway opening to another room, which didn't actually have a door, but Frisk could see the light coming from the room. A set of stairs was also in her range of vision, heading upwards.

Frisk tried to sit up, her bruised and cut body aching with the effort. A groan fled from her lips, and Frisk heard a shuffle of footsteps. Papyrus stepped out from the room she could see, a glass of water in his skeletal hand. His skull held a bit of a concerned smile, but when he saw Frisk noticing, he gripped the cup tightly and let the smile fall from his face.

"Human! You're awake! After we battled, you were so injured you fell asleep!! I, the Great Papyrus, have captured you!!" As he spoke, Papyrus walked quickly towards Frisk, offering her the water. With much effort, she took the glass and put it to her lips. The cool water slid down Frisk's throat, and it had the same magical quality that the cinnamon roll had. "Now we shall wait for Undyne! And I can become the next member of the Royal Guard!!!"

A door out of Frisk's range of vision opened, and Frisk heard someone walk in and close the door behind them. Frisk was still lying on the couch, but Sans walked into her feild of vision quickly.

"Pap, are you still hung up on giving Undyne that human?" Sans asked, not noticing Frisk lying on the couch. "I love ya, bro, but you gotta give it up. They're just a kid." Papyrus cleared his throat, nudging his head towards Frisk, and Sans looked confused. "What?" Sans' eyesockets roamed to Frisk, laying on the couch bruised and still a little bloody. He seemed to turn paler, his bones turning lighter than they already were. "Heh. Sorry, kid. Me and my bro are gonna have a word outside, okay?" With a glare up to Papyrus, the skeleton brothers left the house. Frisk heard the door close, but the walls of the house weren't extremely thick, so Frisk could hear the shouting that went on.

"Did you do that to them, Pap?" Sans asked loudly, a rumble of anger under his voice.

"It's my job, Sans! I'm a sentry! A soon-to-be Royal Guardsman! I had to capture the human!!" Papyrus answered, his loud voice carrying easier through the walls.

"I'm a sentry too. Did you see what you did to them? They're hurt. They're just a kid, Papyrus."

"Are you sure?!? Have you ever seen a human before?!?!"

"No, but they had a striped shirt on. They're a kid! You can't give them to Undyne. She'll destroy them, Pap."

"Sans, it's my job," Papyrus said, sounding tired. "I had to capture the human, and as a sentry, it's also my job to send  _any_ human to Undyne. Including a kid."

"You know, I thought you were a harmless sentry. I thought you were my sweet, kind, sort of a doof of a brother who would do what was best. For  _everyone_." Sans paused, and Frisk could hear one of the skeletons clicking their teeth together. "I guess I was wrong."

"Sans-" Papyrus started, but the deeper-voiced skeleton cut his brother off.

"Whatever. I'm going to Grillby's." Snow crunched under the skeleton's feet, fading into the already muffled sound of the town outside the door. Frisk managed to sit up on the couch, sinking into the squashed cushions as soon as she was upright. Papyrus walked into the front door, his shoulders slouched and not held up high. The tall skeleton looked defeated. When he saw Frisk looking at him though, he straightened his posture and resumed his former personality.

"Human! I suppose that you are free to go," Papyrus said brightly, a large grin on his skull. It looked forced, though, and with quite a bit of pain, Frisk shook her head. "Human? Are you hurt?" Papyrus' face turned from grinning to concerned in almost an instant. Bruises covered Frisk's body like tattoos, and although a few of them were already beginning to fade, they were deep and made nearly every inch of Frisk's body ache. "Oh! Of course you are! Battle does that. Let me get you some food."

Papyrus walked quickly back to the kitchen, and Frisk could hear him humming as he cooked something. The smell of burnt tomatoes and pasta came to Frisk's nose, and she scrunched it up, trying to keep her face set. After a few minutes, Papyrus carried a large plate of something that looked like spaghetti. He handed it to Frisk, and a fork stuck out of it, the metal standing straight up. Even though the food smelled burnt, the plate and noodles were cold. The tall skeleton smiled at Frisk expectantly, and carefully, Frisk took a small bite.

Frisk's nose scrunched up as she swallowed the burnt and slimy noodles. Papyrus' smile widened, and even though the food was disgusting, Frisk felt the ache from her body fading just a bit. Carefully, ignoring the curling of her stomach, Frisk ate another bite of Papyrus' terrible spaghetti.

"I knew you would like it!" the skeleton cried happily.

* * *

Later that day, Sans came back to the house, carrying a trombone case, his blue hood up against the icy cold. Frisk sat on the couch, tinted slightly green. She heard the door open, and Sans set his trombone case down on the floor by a table. When he saw Frisk, his eyesockets seemed to light up a bit. Sans' finger bones scraped his skull as he pulled down his hood, and Frisk could see that he was smiling.

"You have a  _trombone?_ " Frisk asked, her eyes wide with surprise.

"Of course I do. I can see you're  _green_ with envy," Sans answered, chuckling a bit and sitting next to Frisk on the couch. "How ya feelin', kid?"

"Bleh." Frisk stuck her tongue out, closing her eyes. The bruises were mostly gone, a few still yellowing Frisk's skin, but the spaghetti had left Frisk's stomach turning.

"You had my bro's spaghetti, didn't you?" Frisk nodded. "Here, you need some real food. Come with me. We can talk at Grillby's."

"Weren't you just there?" Frisk asked, and Sans laughed.

"I basically live there, kid. Don't sweat it. Not that you could sweat in this cold." Sans shrugged his hoodie off, revealing a white t-shirt covering his ribcage and shoulders. "Here, you'll need a coat." Sans put his blue hoodie over Frisk's shoulders, and she stuck her small arms through the sleeves. The hoodie felt like a dress on Frisk's tiny body, and when they stood, Sans laughed for a moment before leading the way out of the house and to the resteraunt.

When the skeleton and the human reached Grillby's, Sans led them inside. He was greeted with a chorus of "hello"s from people who had just seen him a little bit ago. A flame covered monster stood at the bar, which was shining brightly under the monster's flickering light. Sans led Frisk up to the bar, patting a stool next to him. Frisk climbed up on it, and Sans ordered them two cheeseburgers.

"So, kid, tell me something about yourself," Sans said, drumming his fingers against the wood of the bar. They clicked like long fingernails, and for a moment, Frisk wondered if doing that hurt the skeleton's bones. She had once read about a boxer who had broken their fingers over and over again to make the bones stronger. Sans' eyesockets were pointed towards Frisk, and although he didn't have eyes, Frisk could tell he was watching her.

"I'm a human. My name is Frisk. I play the piano and I like to dance," Frisk started, closing her eyes and trying to think of important things to say. "I'm a girl. I'm really determined. I did something..." Frisk caught herself, the image of Kindness burning in her mind, behind her eyes. The flame of the Toriel/Frisk combination's sword seemed to still be heating Frisk's hands, although it was more likely the resteraunt.

"Something?" Sans reached over to the bottle of ketchup that sat on the bar, taking a swig as casually as if it were a bottle of soda.

"It's hard to explain," Frisk said, picking at some dead skin around her fingernails. Sans was about to pry when Grillby came out carrying their food. Frisk and Sans ate in silence for a few minutes, and Frisk could feel the absence of eyes watching her. When she had eaten about half her sandwich, her stomach had settled, and Sans took another swig from the ketchup bottle.

"Okay, explain it," Sans said, a dead serious tone suddenly in his voice.

"It's complicated. It's easier to show you," Frisk answered, wishing she had a glass of water.

"Okay," Sans said cautiously, watching as Frisk took another bite of her burger. "Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you something." Frisk looked at Sans, letting him continue. The resteraunt seemed to stand still around them, the lights dimming until Sans was the only thing Frisk could see. If they had been the same age, and she had been a romance novel character, this would have been the moment her entire life changed. But they weren't, and she wasn't, so it didn't. "Have you ever heard of a talking flower?"

"Yes," Frisk said, an image of the flower that had 'welcomed' her to the Underground coming to mind. His evil smile made a shiver run down Frisk's spine.

"So you know all about it. The Echo Flower. They're all over the marsh, just on the other side of Snowdin. Say something to them, and they'll repeat it over and over..." Frisk raised an eyebrow. She hadn't seen this type of flower, but Sans seemed like he knew what he was talking about. "What about it? Well, Papyrus told me something interesting the other day. Sometimes, when no one else is around...a flower appears and whispers things to him. Flattery... Advice... Encouragement... Predictions." Sans paused, looking at the bones on his hands, spread on the polished bar. "Weird, huh? Someone must be using an Echo Flower to play a trick on him. Keep an eye out, okay?"

"Okay," Frisk answered. She felt like she was locked in place, unable to move or take another bite of her burger.

"Thanks." The resteraunt seemed to return to life around them, and Frisk looked around in shock, the lights coming back up to full brightness. She could move again, and instantly scarfed downt the rest of her cheeseburger. The bruises and nausea had faded completely, and Frisk felt completely back to normal.

* * *

Sans and Frisk stood in the living room of the skeleton's house, and Frisk was trying hard to concentrate.

"Okay, show me the unexplainable thing," Sans said, and Frisk looked around the house for some type of music. "What is it, kid?"

"I need music." Frisk turned on the television, but there was no signal. Sans snapped his fingers, which was much louder than Frisk had ever heard someone snap. Sans raced upstairs, disappeared into one of the rooms, and came back with a CD player. He pushed play, and a bassy song filled the house.

"Okay, now what?" Sans asked.

"Now we dance," Frisk said, bowing to Sans. He grinned, returning the bow. Frisk started to spin, finding the perfect spots to twirl and dance like she was in a ballet class. Sans started dropping his body, dancing like it was a breakdancing competition. After a few minutes, Frisk stopped dancing, watching the skeleton break out in a sweat. She walked over to the CD player, turning it off. "Together."

"Oh," Sans said, and walked back up to his room to get another CD. This one had slower music on it, and when the song began to play, Frisk stood next to Sans, starting to waltz. It was a bit easier with Sans than it had been with Toriel, but nothing seemed to be happening. After a few more minutes, Sans dropped his arms and looked at Frisk.

"Look, kid, I don't know what this weird angle you've got is, but it isn't working for me. I'm half convinced I should let you just go on to Undyne," Sans said, collapsing into the couch.

"Wait!" Frisk cried, thinking. "We have to dance together, but we have to be ourselves." Frisk walked over the CD player, putting the original CD back into the player and hitting the PLAY button. The bassy song filled the house again, and Frisk danced like Sans had before, motioning him to dance with her. The skeleton sighed, but stood, trying to dance once more.

After a few minutes, the two were having fun, the song covered with laughter and bad dancing. Somehow, even though they weren't 'together', Sans and Frisk danced like partners. Not every step was in sync, not every move was matched in style or time, but they were having fun. Frisk could feel warmth in her chest, and when she looked at Sans, his chest was glowing with a bright light. The color was dark blue, and it was in the shape of a heart, much like Frisk's own red one. Sans laughed, dipping Frisk. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, Frisk wasn't Frisk anymore.

Frisk, Sans, Frisk. It was just like it had been with Kindness, but not quite the same. Frisk was only a little taller than she had been before, and Sans could feel hair on his, her, their, his head. A word came to mind almost immediately - a name.  _Integrity_. Sans, Frisk, Sans opened his, their, her, mouth and spoke it, two voices combining into almost one. Frisk, Sans, Frisk felt confusion creep in. Sans was confused. Frisk tried to hold on, but everything got shaky, and Frisk's, Sans', Frisk's stomach churned.

Everything seemed to glow brightly, and they closed their eyes, the two souls combined breaking apart. It hurt, burned for a moment, and then everything was dark for a moment. Frisk could feel carpet below her hands, and somewhere in the distance, she could hear retching. The nausea in her own stomach subsided, and carefully, she pulled her eyes open. Sans was on his hands and knees in the carpet, coughing and sputtering. The short skeleton pulled himself up, staring at Frisk with both anger and confusion.

"Okay, kid. What the  _hell_ was that?"

 


	5. On The Run

Sans looked up at Frisk, his eyesockets burning with a slight hue of bright blue. Frisk was still shaky from the fusion, the feeling of Sans and her meshed still clinging to her skin like sweat. It was different than Toriel, stronger, angrier. In a way, fusing with Sans had hurt. There were pathways she could see, futures and pasts that didn't really exist, but they did. There was something almost  _wrong_ with Sans, a lot of unexplainable pain. Frisk rubbed her arms, trying to rid herself of the ache that Sans had left behind. In a way, she understood more, how much he cared about Papyrus, how much he just wanted to be a good brother.  _Needed_ to be a good brother. Sans ground his teeth together, partially in anger and partially in pain. He was shaking, kneeling on the floor, his glowing eyes still staring up at Frisk.

"Get out," Sans growled, his teeth ground together. Frisk's eyes widened in confusion, and with great effort, Sans pointed to the door. "I said, get out." Frisk blinked slowly. Sans dragged himself to his knees, anger clear on his skull. "Get out!" He screamed, his deep voice resonating through the house. After another second of confusion, Frisk scurried out the door, Integrity still like a sticky residue on her soul. Snowdin was still freezing, and Frisk suddenly wished that Sans hadn't been as angry as he was. It was cold, and Frisk didn't have a jacket. With one last glance back at the skeleton brother's house, Frisk trudged past, her feet crunching in the snow. The Underground was nearly silent, but Snowdin had speakers that played some ambiant music in the background. Even the music reminded Frisk of snow and cold. As she walked on, her nose got cold and she began to sniffle.

Snow blew harder, and Frisk realized that she was back where Papyrus had fought her. That fight seemed like an infinity ago to Frisk, and for a moment, she stopped, letting the snow whip against her face like tiny daggers. After a few moments, Frisk walked on, the movement of snow under her feet filling the silence of the blizzard. The snowstorm was short lived, though, because soon enough, Frisk walked on to a dark blue, marshy area. Water hung in the air, making things humid. Frisk could feel her hair starting to frizz, and for the first time since she had been underground, she truly felt that she was in a cave.

Frisk kept walking, coming to some reeds. They were green and vibrant, and made a brilliant swooshing sound as she walked through. About halfway through the patch of reeds, which tickled and scratched at Frisk's bare arms, she heard heavy footsteps that seemed to come from her left. Frisk stopped, caution making the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"H-hi, Undyne! I'm here with my daily report..." Frisk recognized the tenor voice that was talking. It was Papyrus, but he seemed more nervous than before.  _Maybe he had seen Sans?_ Frisk held her breath and continued to listen. "Uhh... Regarding that human I called you about earlier..."

Muffled, metallic sounds came from the other person that Papyrus must have been talking to. Frisk had heard the name Undyne, so she could only assume that Papyrus was talking to her.

"...Huh? Did I fight them? Y-yes! Of course I did! I fought them valiantly!" More muffled words came from Undyne, and Papyrus held an awkward silence. "...What? Did I capture them...?" Frisk thought she could hear Papyrus swallow thickly, the vertebrae in his neck clicking together. "W-w-well, no. I tried very hard, Undyne,  but in the end... I failed."

Undyne said something else, and Frisk was sure that her heartbeat was filling the cavern with sound. Very carefully, she took small breaths, trying to stay silent. With the rustling reeds around her, it was very hard, and Frisk didn't even dare to move an inch.

"...W-what? You're going to take the human's soul yourself...? But, Undyne, you don't h-have to destroy them!" Frisk could hear Papyrus' feet crunching grass, which sounded a lot softer than crushing snow. She fought the urge to gasp, her soul glowing a dim red on her chest. Quietly, she covered the glow with her hands. "You see..." Papyrus paused, searching for words. "You see..."

There was a loud creaking noise, and Papyrus' footsteps began to backpedal, moving away from both Undyne and Frisk. More muffled noises came through the cavern, echoing with metallic anger and determination. Papyrus gasped a bit, and Frisk could picture him with a mittened hand fluttering to his chest.

"...I understand. I'll help you in any way I can." After a few moments of awkward silence, Papyrus shuffled away. Frisk kept herself as still as a statue, not daring to breathe even though her chest burned for air. After a bit, Frisk had to breathe, and the air she let go rustled the reeds surrounding her. Frisk heard the crackle of magic to her left, above her like a ledge. She kept herself still, willing the reeds to be quiet. Thankfully, they followed her mental command.

After what seemed like an eternity, the magic crackled away, and heavy metal footsteps walked away from where Frisk stood, leaving the cavern in total silence. Frisk waited just a little longer, letting the glow dim from her chest. Finally, she moved out of the reeds, thankful that they were taller than her and had provided a good hiding place.

A young monster raced out of the reeds behind Frisk. She hadn't even heard him following her, or seen him in the reeds. The monster was dancing around excitedly, his feet moving almost faster than she thought was possible. The monster kid also didn't have any arms, but he was still wearing a striped shirt, kind of like her.

"Yo...did you see the way she was staring at you...? That...was AWESOME! I'm soooo jealous! What'd you do to get her attention...?" Frisk was too confused by the kid's energy to respond. From the monster's mannerisms and voice, it seemed like it was a boy. At Frisk's confusion, he just laughed. "C'mon! Let's go watch her beat up some bad guys!" The kid raced forward, his feet taking him faster than his torso seemed to be able to handle.

He tripped, and Frisk gasped as he fell flat on his face. He was a yellow monster, who kind of looked like a lizard with light spikes and a yellow-brown striped shirt. Before she could help, he had pushed himself up by his forehead and feet, racing onward as though nothing had happened. Remembering both Sans and what Papyrus had said to Undyne, Frisk felt dread ball up in the pit of her stomach. Something else in her stayed determined though. Maybe it was just the stale cavern air.

* * *

Frisk continued walking through the Underground, solving bridge puzzles made of flowers, and finding a quiche left under a bench. There was an echo flower next to the bench, a blue one, like Sans had told her about. She still hadn't run into the short skeleton, and both he and Toriel were on her mind. Kindness and Integrity had been very different feelings, Kindness soft where Integrity had been hard. They were different people, different souls, but both felt strong. Except Integrity had  _hurt._ Frisk shook her head, pushing the thoughts out of her mind.

She didn't even know what it was called. Was it magic? Something else? Would it work with any monster? Would it work with other humans? Frisk didn't know, and even though she desperately wanted to try it again, she didn't know how to. She didn't know how to explain it - and it had seemed to scare Sans. Even though it seemed like everyone here was already either afraid of her or angry with her, she didn't want to purposely scare anyone.

Papyrus called her on the phone once, asking what she was wearing for a friend. Frisk had a sneaking suspicion that he was calling for Undyne, but she went with her gut and was honest. Let the warrior fight her. Frisk was determined to not be afraid.

One hallway had contained a lot of echo flowers, and Frisk listened to all of them. They seemed to be telling a story, or a history lesson, of sorts. A sign on the wall read WISHING ROOM.  _A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the stars in the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true. Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling... Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that. C'mon, sis! Make a wish! I wish my sister and I will see the real stars someday..._

After listening to the echo flowers, Frisk could feel sadness enter her heart. These monsters, they were just like her, trapped. All they wanted was to see the stars, to be free, like they once had been. Maybe this had been the ache she had felt with Kindness. The pain she had felt with Integrity. Frisk wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly feeling cold. There had to be a way for them to be free, for them to be free. Frisk would free them if it killed her.

Frisk kept walking, finding a small piece of wood that seemed to magically carry her across an underground river as long as she continued to walk on it. Frisk rode it across the river, dark shadows painting the area around her like an old, scary painting or a haunted house. When the board deposited her on the other side of the river, on a blue boardwalk cast in shadows, Frisk could feel eyes on her back, but she continued to walk.

The crackle of magic filled the air again, and a spear pierced the boardwalk before Frisk, nearly scraping her nose. The spear was made of cyan magic, and it felt magnetic with its energy. Frisk broke out in a fast-paced run as more spears flew at her. It was Undyne, that she was sure of, but she didn't dare look back to see what this villain looked like. Somehow she avoided the spears, but a few grazed her arms, stinging with the stale air hitting the fresh cuts. She didn't let herself dwell on the pain.

Frisk kept running, her lungs burning from the exercise. More reeds were up ahead, and Frisk hid in them, quietly catching her breath as she listened to the spears zinging through the air. She held her breath as she heard the reeds rustle, knowing Undyne was chasing after her to the ends of these caves. Undyne was mere inches from Frisk when she stopped, her metal armor creaking as she leaned down and grabbed at something near Frisk. Frisk didn't dare shy away, but Undyne's hand wasn't reaching for her.

Undyne pulled the monster kid who had been with her before out of the reeds. He had a huge smile on his yellow face, and Undyne sighed loudly. She put the kid back on the ground, nearly on top of Frisk, and then walked back, her heavy metal footsteps clanking away. Once the sound had faded into the distance, Frisk sighed loudly in relief. Blood dripped down her arms, and she pulled the slightly squashed quiche out of her pocket, eating it as quickly as possible. Frisk could feel the cuts on her arms close, the skin stitching back together like the seams on her favorite toy in the orphanage.

Once Frisk finished, the she walked out of the reeds. The monster kid followed her, the same excited speed to his step.

"Yo...did you see that!? Undyne just...TOUCHED ME! I'm never washing my face again! Man, are you unlucky. If you were standing just a LITTLE bit to the left...! Yo, don't worry! I'm sure we'll see her again!" The kid raced off again, falling on his face before pushing off and moving forward. Frisk admired the kid's spunk, but she felt like he would be tiring to be friends with. She never got a word in, no matter how much she wanted to. Frisk sighed, hoping that the kid was wrong, before continuing on.

Frisk walked on, and for a moment, she saw Sans. The skeleton stood at a telescope, his hands in his sweatshirt pockets. The moment his eyesockets laid on her, though, he disappeared as though he hadn't been there to begin with. Frisk sighed, walking to where he had been merely moments ago. She could feel magic clinging to her skin, but the air was empty.

"Sans..." Frisk said to the empty air. "I'm sorry," she tried, but the skeleton didn't return. Frisk felt like someone had stabbed her with a dull knife. She waited for a few more minutes, but Sans didn't return, so she moved on. She kept walking, running into a few monsters who attacked her. She spared all of them, exhaustion settling into her bones. If she could only find somewhere to rest, just for a moment, then everything would be okay. Nothing came.

Finally, Frisk found an empty cavern. No monsters seemed to be inside, and even after a few minutes of aimlessly walking around, nothing came to attack her, so she figured she was safe. Frisk laid down, closing her eyes and letting herself sleep. It had been a long few days.

* * *

When Frisk opened her eyes, a large monster was looking at her. It looked like something out of a cartoon or an anime, a bit like an onion and a bit like an octopus. It smiled when she woke up, and immediately started up talking about something that Frisk wasn't awake enough to pay attention to. After using a few minutes to wake up, the monster finally realized that it hadn't introduced itself. It looked like a girl, and spoke in a high-pitched, feminine voice. To Frisk, the sound was slightly grating, but it seemed like the monster needed a friend.

"Oh! I'm Onionsan!" the monster squealed. "What's your name?"

"I'm Frisk," Frisk answered tiredly. Onionsan smiled widely. "I have to go, I'm supposed to go home," Frisk said, and Onionsan's smile fell just a little bit.

"Oh. Okay!" Onionsan waved goodbye as Frisk stood and walked out of the chamber. Frisk continued on, walking through rooms and refusing to fight monsters. The sleep had done her good, but the caves were starting to get to her, and she missed her bed. She missed the skeleton brothers, too, and their friendship. She also missed Toriel's cozy home and her butterscotch cinnamon pie. Frisk kept going though, determined to make the monster's dreams come true.

As Frisk went on, she found a basket of umbrellas. She took one, and a little later on found the monster kid once more. He was standing in a niche, trying to get out of the rain. Frisk smiled at him.

"Yo, you got an umbrella? Awesome!" The kid walked over to her, huddling next to her under the umbrella. Thankfully, it was huge, so he eventually stepped away and followed, still safe and dry under the pink waterproof fabric. "Let's go!" he cried like he was going into battle. Frisk was, she knew that. But this kid wasn't. A part of Frisk wanted to smack some sense into him, but it was the part of herself that she always ignored, like an alter ego.

The two walked in silence, which Frisk thought was unusual for the little yellow monster, but she liked listening to the rain bounce and puddle on the cavern floor. After a few minutes, the little monster broke the silence.

"Man, Undyne is soooo cool. She beats up bad guys and NEVER loses. If I was a human, I would wet the bed every night...knowing she was gonna beat me up!" the kid laughed, and Frisk could feel her shoulders drop at his comment. He was just being a kid, just being funny. To him, Undyne must be a hero. But did that make Frisk a bad guy? The two walked on, Frisk holding the umbrella so it covered both of them.

"So, one time. We had a school project where we had to take care of a flower. The king - we had to call him 'Mr. Dreemurr' - volunteered to donate his own flowers. He ended up coming to the school and teaching the class about responsibility and stuff. That got me thinking... YO! How COOL would it be if UNDYNE came to school!? She could beat up ALL the teachers!!" Frisk laughed a little bit, and the monster kid quieted once more. They walked on. "Uhhh... maybe she wouldn't beat up the teachers... She's too cool to hurt an innocent person!" Frisk grit her teeth. They walked on.

After a few more minutes of comfortable silence, the underground rain stopped, and there was another basket full of umbrellas. Frisk closed the umbrella, shaking the extra water off of it before putting it into the basket. The little yellow monster, who didn't seem to have a name, or hadn't mentioned one, raced to a ledge that they stood beneath. It was too tall for Frisk for reach, and the little monster had no arms to even try. Plus, he was a few inches shorter than Frisk, so even with arms, he probably couldn't reach it. Frisk walked up to him, standing next to him and looking up the ledge.

"Yo, this ledge is way too steep..." the kid began. "Hmmmm..." Monster Kid craned his neck, looking up. "Yo, you want to see Undyne, right...? Climb on my shoulders." Frisk did so, carefully, and pulled herself up the ledge. There was no way to get Monster Kid up with her, though. "Yo, you go on ahead. Don't worry about me. I always find a way to get through!" Frisk watched the little yellow monster walk away, back the way they had just come, no umbrella to cover the spines on his head. A small smile came to Frisk's face, and she watched him go before turning to continue on.

Frisk walked on. There were ancient writings on the wall, but somehow Frisk could read them, even though they were a language Frisk had never seen before. Frisk kept all of them in a history in her mind, as though they would be important. Maybe they were.

_A monster with a human SOUL... A horrible beast with unfathomable power. The humans, afraid of our power, declared war on us. They attacked suddenly, and without mercy. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the SOUL of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul. Not a single human soul was taken, and countless monsters were turned to dust._

After reading the ones she had come upon so far, Frisk walked on. Dread curled in the pit of her stomach like a large stone. More boardwalks were ahead of her, layered upon each other. Cyan circles surrounded Frisk, and she was trapped by their magic as spears stabbed upwards from them.  _Undyne._ The moment that the circles were gone, Frisk ran, avoiding the circles as best she could, stopping when she needed to, trying to keep away from them. The ones she did step on burned. The spears that came up from them felt like they were slicing Frisk in half, even though they were magic and only harming her a little.

Frisk ran until she came upon Undyne, who seemed to freeze her where she stood. Slowly, Undyne walked towards her, her large metal armor creaking and banging with every step. Undyne simply sounded heavy, and Frisk couldn't back away. Her heart beat in her chest like a rock beat, and she could feel the warm glow of her soul brighten the dark chamber. It cast a red glow against the metal of Undyne's helmet. The head of the Royal Guard looked like a knight from old storybooks or Disney movies, but a scary version.

Undyne was a few feet away from Frisk when she summoned her magic. Cyan swords rained down, slicing the boardwalk a few feet in front of Frisk. They disappeared into the depths, and the moment they were done slicing, Frisk could feel the wood beneath her feet begin to shake. The boardwalk fell out from beneath her, dropping into a dark abyss. Frisk fell after it, almost like she was a part of a cartoon.

Everything faded to a bright, white light.

 

 


	6. The Test

_It sounds like it came from over here..._

_Oh! You've fallen down, haven't you..._

_Are you okay?_

_Here, get up..._

_Chara, huh? That's a nice name._

_My name is..._

Frisk woke with a start, pushing buttercups away from her face. The sound of rushing water was filling her ears, and even though she was laying on a bed of yellow flowers, the air stunk of garbage and rotting juices. Frisk sat up carefully, pulling soft petals from her brown hair. Frisk stood up in the flowers, walking along the broken remains of the boardwalk that Undyne had cut down.

She stepped onwards, into the dark blue water. Nothing seemed to be swimming around in it other than garbage, and it was only chest-deep, so Frisk walked through it. Huge piles of garbage lined the walls, and little bits of the boardwalk seemed to have floated down through the current of the water, taking up rest farther down.

Frisk walked on, finding a rusted bicycle, and more piles of garbage. There was also an old desktop computer tower, and a cooler full of freeze-dried food bars. Frisk picked them up, stuffing them into her pockets. Somehow, they were still dry, and the packaging surrounding them would keep them that way. A couple of DVD cases for some anime floated by, and Frisk noticed claw marks around the edges.

A dummy sat in the water, much like the one Toriel had asked Frisk to talk to back in the Ruins. Frisk walked up to it, looking into its eyes. It stared back dully, no life in its black eyes. After a few moments, Frisk walked away, hoping to find a way out of the trash dump and back onto her journey to the King. She walked on, but magic held her in place, turning her around. The dummy was suddenly orange, and it looked angry.

The dummy cackled, magically floating in front of the path out of the room. Frisk turned to look at him, the dummy floating a few feet above the water. She could feel the water surrounding her, soaking into her skin and clothing. The dummy looked angry, and magical. Everything in the Underground was magical.

"Too intimidated to fight me, huh!?" the dummy shouted. "I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until... YOU! You... Shucks! You were really boring! They flew away like any self-respecting spectre. Well then. Well then! WELL THEN! Boring people are crumbs sticking to the face of this world. I'll wipe you away with the dainty handkerchief of vengence!" The dummy turned red, steam shooting from where Frisk assumed his ears were.

The dummy's voice was low and gravelly, and he shot balls of magic at her. They looked like loose white yarn balls, flying at her in the same way that Toriel's fireballs had. Frisk ducked below the water, letting the magic fly over her and into the dummy. The hits only seemed to make him angrier, but Frisk refused to fight him. Letting his own magic hit him, though, that seemed perfectly okay.

The dummy shot more magic at Frisk, who ducked below the water once more. There wasn't really a way to swim away, but ducking below the water seemed like a good tactic. More of the dummy's magic hit him, and he screamed in rage. He began to dance around, floating, but somehow, Frisk was still able to aim his attacks back at him. She felt like she was turning his attacks into a boomerang, sending them right back to where they came from.

After what felt like hours of fighting, the dummy gave up on magic attacks and sent rockets at Frisk. These were harder to avoid, but she managed to send them at the dummy. When he finally felt like those were failing, he sent them away, too. He threw a knife at Frisk, but it landed in a pile of garbage behind them, completely missing Frisk. The dummy sighed, seeming defeated.

"I'm...out of knives," he admitted sullenly. "I can't hurt you and you can't hurt me. But that doesn't matter...you'll just be stuck fighting me forever! Forever! FOREVER!" The dummy started to cackle again, the sound bouncing off the water and cavern walls. Drops of something began to fall on the dummy, though, although they carefully avoided Frisk. She dove under the water once again, realizing that it also smelled like garbage. "Wh-what the heck is this!? Ergh! Acid rain!?! Oh, FORGET IT! I'm outta here!!" The dummy floated away, and Frisk came up from under the water.

Napstablook floated down, looking concerned. Frisk smiled at the familiar sight of the ghost.

"....sorry, I interrupted you, didn't I? As soon as I came over, your friend immediately left... Oh no... You guys looked like you were having fun... Oh no... I just wanted to say hi.... oh no....... Well... I'm going to head home now... oh... feel free to 'come with' if you want.... but no pressure... I understand if you're busy...it's fine...no worries... I just thought I'd offer..." Napstablook floated away, looking embarrased and concerned. Frisk followed the ghost without hesitation, walking up the path out of the garbage-scented water.

Napstablook floated up, showing Frisk where his house was. Frisk followed eagerly, hoping it was warm and dry. The area they were in was calm and quiet, and Frisk felt tranquility settle in her soul. She was determined to get dry and spend some time with the sad ghost before she continued the journey. Frisk explored a bit, finding a small bird staring across a small gap in the bright blue water that was in waterfall. There was also a big house that looked like a fish. An  _angry_ fish.

Finally, Frisk found Napstablook's house. There was a blue house and a pink house, and Frisk figured that the blue one belonged to Napstablook. It fit his personality better. Frisk stepped inside, finding a barren house with cobwebs and cracking wooden floors. It was warm, but there wasn't any bathroom or clothes dryer. There was a refridgerator and a television, and a computer, along with a few scattered CDs on the floor. The house was kind of sad.

"Oh...you really came.. I wasn't expecting that. Sorry, it's not much, but make yourself at home." Frisk smiled, walking towards the refridgerator. Her stomach was grumbling after the fight with the dummy. Inside was a transparent-looking sandwich. Frisk tried to grab it, but her fingers went right through.  _Ghost food. Of course._ Napstablook apologized profusely, then noticed that Frisk was dripping water all over the floor. "Sorry, you must be soaked. I can fix that," Napstablook said, and then floated through Frisk.

The ghost was warm, and somehow, he absorbed the water that was soaked to Frisk's bones. When he floated away, Frisk was dry and warm, and Napstablook looked like he was full of water.

"I'll be right back," he said, floating out of the house. Frisk stood alone in the empty room, looking around. There didn't seem to be much to do, and it was awkward to be alone in the house of the ghost she barely knew. One of the CD cases was open, so Frisk walked over to it and pushed it into the computer. A simple but synthetic tune filled the house, and Frisk felt herself dancing along. It was a smooth sound, and a smooth dance that followed.

Napstablook floated back through the door, and saw Frisk dancing on the floor near the computer. A small smile came to his opaque face. Frisk smiled back at him, inviting him to dance with her. Napstablook smiled a little bigger, coming over to dance with her. Something about the music seemed like Napstablook had written it. That only made Frisk like it more.

Frisk's soul began to glow red, and she saw Napstablook's start to glow, too. It was kind of transparent, but a cornflower blue color. Frisk smiled, keeping dancing. Everything in the small, barren house seemed to glow brightly, and Frisk smiled, closing her eyes. The music kept playing, and Frisk pretended that she was a ghost, floating along to the music.

Frisk, Napstablook, Frisk opened her, his, her eyes. This form was different. Not painful, not soft, barely there. The glow coming from the chest that was both Frisk's and Napstablook's was a transparent purple, light and glowing like it was underwater. Napstablook, Frisk, Napstablook looked at his, her, his arm. It was transparent, but basically the same shape as Frisk's. There was a set of headphones on their head, and Frisk could feel an aching sadness. A dull feeling was spreading all over the form, and Frisk could feel a shirt and a pair of jeans.

"Concern," they said, the voice of the form thin and soft, sad and kind, and tired. The music was still playing. Frisk was confused. She hadn't meant to do this with the ghost...hadn't meant to do this with Napstablook. Napstablook was confused. The world went fuzzy, and the two slid apart.

* * *

Frisk and Napstablook parted ways, the ghost claiming that he was exhausted after the melding of their souls. Frisk understood, and apologized before continuing on her journey. Frisk walked on, dry and only a little bit hungry. She ate some of the astronaut food on the road, chewing on the freeze-dried food slowly. Her mind was mulling over everything that had happened in the past days.

The souls, Kindness, Integrity, and Concern. They were all so different, different feelings. All of them were a little sad, a little painful, some easier than others. Frisk could feel all of them sticking to her skin like melted, sticky sugar. It was like residue, the memories of the souls that she had created with the monsters. The memories and feelings weren't bad, but Frisk didn't understand them.

Shadows painted the cavern black, and Frisk found little mushrooms that lit up if you touched them. She lit her path with them, careful not to pick any. She soon found a corridor with shops, and even a small village full of monsters that called themselves 'Temmies'. Frisk figured that she would end up visiting that village later, and hadn't paid the hyper monsters much mind. The Temmies were small and looked like a cat and a dog had mixed, and the result had decided to put on a grey wig. Frisk decided that she  _never_ wanted to mix her soul with a Temmie.

Frisk had also met an old monster who ran a junk shop. He was a turtle sort of monster, and something about him just seemed warm and inviting. He was a veteran, and had told Frisk a bit of the history of the Underground. Frisk had learned that his name was Gerson, and while he wouldn't buy anything from her, he did have some food for sale. After resting in his miniature cave home for a few minutes, Frisk continued on.

Frisk walked through the Underground, listening to Echo flowers and walking through more water. Finally, though, she came to a long bridge. It was thin, and looked a little rickety, because it was only made of wood, but Frisk tested her weight on it carefully. By either miracle or magic, the bridge held. Carefully, Frisk started across, doing her best to not look down. There were no handrails, and underneath the bridge was an endless black void.

Frisk walked across, finding a part of the bridge that seemed a little more solid than the rest of it. It seemed to be connected to a stalagmite instead of the wooden stilts that were holding the rest of the structure up. She paused for a moment there, collecting herself, and then continued. Frisk was nearly to the other side when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Yo!" Frisk turned around to see the armless, yellow monster kid racing behind her. Once he saw he had her attention, he slowed down, walking up to meet her. The bridge swayed a little underneath their feet, but Frisk set her jaw and stayed determined to make it through the conversation without breaking the bridge. "Yo, I know I'm not supposed to be here, but... I wanna ask you something."

"What?" Frisk asked, confused.

"Man, I've never had to ask anyone this before... Ummm... Yo, you're human, right?" Frisk nodded, and the monster kid in front of her laughed, his eyes lighting up. "Man! I knew it! So, um, I guess that makes us enemies or something. But I kinda stink at that." Monster Kid laughed again. "Yo, say something mean so I can hate you?" It was phrased like a question.

"Why?" Frisk asked. She was always a quiet kid, and this was definitely the weirdest conversation she had ever had with someone.

"Please?" Monster Kid was practically begging now. Frisk couldn't even think of anything mean to say.

"No," Frisk said.

"Fine. I'll do it. Yo, I..I hate your guts." Frisk crinkled her nose. That wasn't  _mean._ That was just stupid. The older kids and even some of the adults had said much worse to her up on the surface, in the orphanage. The worst one that Frisk could think of was that her parents didn't want her. Even though it wasn't as much of an insult and more of a fact. "Man, I...I'm such a turd. I'm... I'm gonna go home now." Monster Kid backed up a little bit, and Frisk watched him go.

She couldn't be this kid's enemy. They barely knew each other, but Frisk thought they had sort of been friends. They worked, her tendency to be quiet and his affinity for talking non-stop. Monster Kid turned around, starting to race off like he had every time before, but instead of falling on his face, he tripped, almost falling off of the thin, old bridge.

"Yo, w-w-wait! Help! I tripped!" Undyne came into view, her mettalic armor shining through the darkness. Even though she would be going straight towards a monster who wanted to take her soul, Frisk raced towards Monster Kid, pulling him up and away from the ledge. When the kid was back on his feet, he looked towards Frisk in appreciation. Undyne walked closer, and Frisk's heart leapt into her throat.

"Y-y-yo, dude, if...if y-you wanna hurt my friend... You're gonna have to get through me, first." Monster Kid was talking to Undyne. He was shaking a little bit, and Frisk could see a sheen on sweat on his spines. He was  _scared._ Undyne backed off though, a word not leaving her mouth. Frisk and Monster Kid watched her go. "She's gone... Yo, you really saved my skin. Guess being enemies was just a nice thought," Monster Kid laughed. "We'll just have to be friends instead. Man, I should REALLY go home. I bet my parents are worried sick about me!" Frisk felt a pang in her chest.  _Parents._ Monster Kid started to walk away, but turned back. "Later, dude!"

Monster Kid raced off, leaving Frisk alone on the rickety wooden bridge. The pang in her chest dulled a little, and she walked on, trying to push the thought of having parents from her mind. All the echo flower wishes had wanted to see the stars, get out of the Underground, return to the service. Frisk only had one wish, but there weren't any stars to wish on, or sparkling stones, or even echo flowers to hear it.

Frisk walked on, finally able to push the thought away of parents and family. She crossed over a few tiny wooden bridges, but they were a lot smaller, so Frisk felt safer in the fact that she could see the other side. After a few minutes of eerie silence, Frisk found the end of the road. There was a dark, shadowy corridor in front of her as she turned to face the armored warrior standing above the cave. It looked like a gateway to the Underworld, the one you read about in Bibles and the ones that involved hellfire.

"Seven." Undyne's voice, an alto, angry tone, echoed through the cavern. It was low for a woman's voice, and Frisk could feel the vibrations travel through her chest and feet. "Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god." Undyne paused, turning away from Frisk. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand? Through your seventh and final soul, this world will be transformed."

 _Transformed?_ Frisk wondered. In what way would the world be transformed? And becoming a god? When Frisk melted souls with someone else, it almost felt like she was a god. But that couldn't be right, because when it was over, they were always the same. Everything returned to normal, like suspended animation.

"First, however, as is customary for those who make it this far... I shall tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started, long ago..." Undyne paused, and Frisk moved her neck, realizing that it was starting to get sore from staring up at the monster in metal standing at the top of the stalagmites. "No, you know what? Screw it! Why should I tell that story when you're about to die!?!" Undyne was shouting, her words as clear as crystal even through her metal helmet. She screamed in rage, laughing with the sound. Undyne removed her helmet, revealing blue skin and a long red ponytail.

Undyne looked a bit like a fish, and had no nose, with a bright green eye. Her right eye was covered with an eyepatch, but the good one that Frisk could see gleamed with vengance and anger.

"You! You're standing in the way of everybody's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool...with their giant robots and flowery swordsmen. But you? You're just a coward! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away from me again! And let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-schtick!" Undyne was laughing, clearly thinking that she was on a roll. "Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers!" Frisk had hugged quite a few of the monsters that had attacked her, once they had stopped throwing magic or knives at her. But that was rather beside the point. "You know what would be more valuable to everyone? If you were dead!!!" Frisk's soul was starting to glow red on her chest.

"That's right, human! Your continued existence is a crime! Your life is all that stands between us and our freedom! Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose! Now, human! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready!" Undyne laughed, and Frisk took a large breath. She would never be ready for this. This was a fight for her life, like most things in the Underground had been. But for some reason, this felt like the fight to end all fights. Or one of them, at least.

Frisk pulled her shirt down, getting ready to run. There was a toy knife she had found in the Ruins at her side, not that it would do her much good. Frisk exhaled, calming her mind. Her soul glowed brightly on her chest, casting a red glow through the cavern. Frisk sucked in as much air as she could and ran.

Her feet pounded against the cool, damp floor of the cavern. Frisk ran into the corridor, Undyne's heavy metal footsteps following her. Frisk didn't dare look back, her eyes on her goal ahead. Magic arrows and spears flew at her, but somehow, Frisk dodged them all, the red glow of her soul blocking them. Undyne's magic froze her for a few moments when it hit her, letting some more of her arrows and spears hit her.

Frisk ran and ran, Undyne chasing all the while, until she came upon a sign on the wall. It was glowing with neon lights, blinking in the darkness of the cave that Frisk was running through. WELCOME TO HOTLAND, it read, blinking red and yellow. Frisk raced in the direction that the arrow on the sign was pointing, racing as fast as she could. Her feet felt like they were flying, spinning as fast as possible.

Even though it had felt like an infinity, the cave came to an end. Frisk's lungs were burning, but she didn't dare stop running. They emerged into a orange-hued, hot area. It was dry heat, and Frisk felt like all the humidiity from Waterfall was evaporating away as she ran. Sans was asleep in a sentry station near a bridge, and Frisk looked at him for a moment before running by. Undyne followed diligently.

Frisk raced across the bridge, this one a lot sturdier than the one in Waterfall had been. The one Monster Kid had fallen from. Frisk wondered for a moment if he was okay. There was a water cooler at the end of the bridge, and although Frisk's throat was burning, she stopped. Undyne's footsteps had slowed considerably, and Frisk turned around to watch her chase after. Undyne looked dryed out and exhausted, and her footsteps were at the slowest speed Frisk had ever witnessed in anyone.

"Armor... so... hot... But I can't... give... up..." Undyne panted. She took a few steps forward, but collapsed before she could reach the end of the bridge. Frisk looked at her for a moment, but realized how she could help. She quickly walked to the water cooler, filling a little paper cup to the brim with water. The dry heat started sucking the water into the air as soon as the water was out of the cooler. Frisk double timed her steps over to Undyne, dumping the water on her exposed, blue skin.

After a few moments, Undyne pulled herself up. Frisk was dehydrated and cut open, blood dripping and crusting down from where Undyne's various arrows and spears had cut her. A lightheadedness settled in her brain, but she ignored it as Undyne looked around and then walked away. As long as the monster was okay, Frisk was okay, too. She smiled, watching the fish monster go. The heat was blistering, burning, and the headache she was getting was something from a nightmare.

Frisk closed her eyes, feeling like she was floating up and away from her own body. She felt her body hit the dirt, but it was like an afterthought, already a memory. It felt a bit like Concern, the transparency of everything. Frisk's eyelids fluttered, and she thought she saw a pair of pink slippers walking briskly towards her.

_Frisk? Frisk!_


	7. We Need To Talk

Frisk opened her eyes, bright flourescent light coming down from where she was lying. A glass of water was next to her, half gone. Vague memories of being half-awake and drinking the water swam in Frisk's mind. Her body ached, the cuts left over from the fight with Undyne still crusted with blood.

"Kid, you're awake," Sans' voice said, and Frisk raised her head to see the short, blue skeleton looking at her with concern in his eyesockets. "You were running from Undyne, and you collapsed," he explained.

"Is she okay?" Frisk asked, her mouth feeling like it was full of cotton. A million other questions were running through her mind, too.  _Where was she? Why was Sans here? Was everything okay?_ Sans just nodded, seeming to urge on her questions.  _Are we okay? Is he still mad?_ "Are you still angry?" Frisk asked quietly. Sans looked away, avoiding the question. Footsteps shuffled through the building, and Frisk sat up, anticipating some hostile monster.

Instead, what she got was a lizard monster with small glasses, a too-big labcoat, and sweaty hands. The monster's spikes were styled like a short bob, and she had rather big teeth. Frisk thought she looked very nervous, and she was carrying a bowl of what looked like Ramen Noodles.

"Here, human, eat this," Alphys said, handing Frisk the bowl. It had a pair of pink chopsticks sticking out of it, each with anime characters attatched to the end of them. Frisk ate some of the noodles, learning quickly that they were chicken flavored. "I really didn't expect you soon! I haven't showered, I'm barely dressed, everything's messy, and...oh! I'm Dr. Alphys. I'm Asgore's royal scientist! But don't worry, I'm not one of the 'bad guys'. Actually, since you stepped out of the Ruins, I've been 'observing' your journey through my console. Your fights, your friendships, everything!"

"You've seen what happens when I...?" Frisk asked, unable to explain the feeling of being someone other than yourself.

"Sans came to me after he experienced 'fusing' with you," Alphys explained. "He explained the basics of the feeling, and what had happened before, during, and after. But I haven't actually seen it in action! I'd love to see the two of you fuse," Alphys said, excitement and nerves mixing in her voice. Frisk could feel the magic of the monster food buzzing through her veins, stitching up the cuts in her arms and legs. Sans nodded a bit, and Alphys stumbled over herself when she saw the dirt and blood covering Frisk. "Oh! You probably want to shower! I'll lead you to the bathroom!"

Alphys led Frisk down an escalator, talking all the while. Frisk looked around the laboratory, only half-listening to the monster's ramblings. She seemed to have a lot to say, and used a lot of words to say it. Frisk wasn't sure if she said anything at all, though.

"I was originally going to stop you, but... Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them. So, ahh, now I want to help you! Using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland and help you with this whole 'fusion' thing. But I also know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!" Alphys paused, motioning to a door. "Here's the bathroom. Use anything you need, take your time. After you're done, I'd love to see you in action!"  _In action?_ "Sans told me about Integrity! I'd love to meet them!"

"Oh," Frisk said. Sans didn't seem okay with her yet, and Integrity had  _hurt._ Maybe it had just been Sans' resistance, or the feeling after, or maybe it was because it was only the second time she had ever 'fused'. Either way, Frisk was a little reluctant to show Alphys the result of Sans melting with her. Either way, it didn't seem like she really had a choice. "Okay," Frisk said, walking into the bathroom. The door clicked shut behind her, and it seemed to be locked when someone was inside.

The bathroom was huge. Frisk wondered for a moment why a small monster needed such a large bathroom. There were at least ten different kinds of soaps, and Frisk even found some shampoo and conditioner. It was like she had stepped into a Bath and Body Works. Frisk didn't dwell very long on it, though, because she felt dirty and kind of sticky from the garbage water, which seemed like a lifetime ago.

Frisk stepped into the shower, which turned on by itself. It was warm, but not overly so, and Frisk was suddenly very glad that Alphys was a scientist. She had probably invented all of the soaps and the shower. Frisk cleaned the blood and dirt off of her skin with the water, and hurried to get back to Sans and Alphys. The soap smelled great, though. When she stepped out of the shower, finding her clothing clean and dry, she wondered if there was a toothbrush. Frisk didn't find one, but there was a tube of toothpaste, so Frisk brushed her teeth with her finger.

For the first time since she had been at Toriel's house, Frisk felt clean. It was a good feeling, one Frisk wouldn't take advantage of. She stepped out of the bathroom and back up to where Alphys and Sans were talking about the fusion Frisk could perform.

"You're back!" Alphys cried happily, standing up. "Okay, can you show me Integrity?" Frisk slid her eyes over to Sans, who nodded slightly.

"We need music," Frisk said, and Alphys sat up with a jolt.

"Of course! Of course! Let me get some!" Alphys rushed out, her feet scuffling against the tile floor. Sans turned to Frisk, his eyesockets devoid of pupils. Frisk bit her lip.

"Do you have any explanation as to what this is?" Sans asked, anger still tinging his voice. "This... fusion thing."

"No," Frisk answered honestly. "I've only been able to do it in the Underground, and it's all new to me."

"Then I don't have any reason to be angry," Sans said, his pupils returning. The skeleton smiled softly, opening his arms. "Come here, kid." Frisk walked towards Sans, who scooped her into a giant hug. Even though he was only a little bit taller than her, Sans' hug felt like an entirely different world. His blue sweater made him feel like he was covered in fat instead of clothing. "You scared me half to death with your little collapsing stunt, Frisk," Sans said. "Don't do it again."

"Okay," Frisk laughed, and they heard Alphys scuffling towards them. Sans let Frisk go, and Alphys smiled at the two of them.

"I have the music right here!" Alphys plugged the CD player she was carrying into a speaker, and the song started. It was nothing like the song Sans and Frisk had danced to the first time they had fused, and Sans looked at Frisk, part of his skull raised like an eyebrow. It was nearly undanceable, while it had a good beat, it was boring. Frisk nodded, and Sans pulled out a beat-up MP3 player.

"Let me try," Sans said, walking over to the speaker system. He plugged his device into the speakers and hit play, a rock song with a great beat playing over the speakers. The moment it started to play, Frisk's head started to bounce to the beat. Sans jammed over to Frisk, starting to dance with her. They were being silly, and when Frisk caught a glimpse of Alphys, she could tell that the scientist wanted to tell them to be serious.

The song went on, and Frisk and Sans danced circles around each other, their souls glowing brightly on their chests. The dark blue of Sans' soul danced around the red of Frisk's, and Alphys watched with pure fascination. Everything began to glow brightly, and Sans pulled Frisk in, dipping her like he had done before. They closed their eyes, and this time, Frisk could feel the fibers of their beings stitch together. It was painful, but a good feeling, too.

Frisk, Sans, Frisk opened their eyes. Alphys was staring at them with huge eyes behind her thick glasses. Everything seemed in sharp, clear focus. Integrity could feel every joint in their hand, every inch of fabric on the striped hoodie they wore. Their feet were covered with pink slippers, their black-blue shorts coming down to their pale, bone knees.

"Oh my god! Oh my god!!" Alphys cried, adjusting her glasses. She had a notebook out, and was already making observations in chicken scratch across the page. "How does it feel? Who are you? Do you have any weapons? Is this magic?"

"Slow down," Integrity said, their voice raspy and low, with alto tones that were part Frisk. "It feels...focused. And strong. I'm Integrity." Frisk pulled their hands to their chest, leading to the soul. At the mention of a weapon, the soul glowing on their chest had started to glow. It was a deep blue, almost black, the red of Frisk's soul swallowed in the color. Integrity's fingertips touched the soul, and a weapon appeared next to them.

"Oh my god!" Alphys said, her eyes getting bigger as she saw the Gaster Blaster next to Integrity. Integrity laughed, letting a beam of energy fly at a wall. The sharp, blue energy that flew out was vaguely reminiscent of the knife Frisk kept with her. A large hole blasted into the wall, and Alphys screamed.

"Lots of magic. Any other questions?"

"Oh, goodness! No! Well, yes! Maybe! I don't know!" Alphys said, excitement thrumming through her. It was starting to hurt to be fused, and even though the two were getting along, Sans was in pain for some reason. Frisk didn't want to know. Integrity smiled.

"Want to hear a chemistry joke?" Alphys nodded, a curious look in her eyes. "Well, I'm afraid they're Argon." Alphys cackled. "I know, I'm Sodium funny. I bet you really slapped your Neon that one." Alphys wheezed, trying to catch her breath. Integrity smiled bigger. "You like my puns? Don't worry, you'll be hearing them periodically." Alphys sat down, trying to catch her breath.

"Stop, stop!"

"Sorry, but are you a charged atom? Because I've got my ion you! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just in my element." Integrity was really on a roll now. "Do you know if silicon is still the same in Spanish? Si! It is! I have so many chemistry jokes, but I'm afraid they wouldn't get a good reaction. Last time I was in a lab, I blew up my experiment, but it's okay, because oxidants happen. I heard oxygen and magnesium were going out, and I just had to say OMg! They have such good chemistry! The first thing chemists learned about ammonia was that it's pretty basic. What kind of fish is made of only two sodium atoms? a 2Na."

Alphys was laughing hard on the floor, barely able to breathe. Integrity's chest was starting to glow brightly, and they laughed at their jokes.

"Hey, doc, I'll give you one last piece of advice. Don't trust atoms, they make up everything." With that, Integrity glowed brightly, unfusing. Frisk and Sans appeared, still in the dipping position. Frisk fell next to Alphys, laughter ripping through her body. All the puns had been Sans' doing, and they had been too much for her the moment they had unfused.

"I have to call Undyne!" Alphys gasped, still laughing. She finished laughing, slowly getting up and heading back downstairs. "I have a feeling she'll know more about this than I do," she called up the escalator as she went down. Sans sent her a thumbs up.

"Hey, what do you call a fish without an eye?" Sans asked Frisk.

"Uh, a 'fsh'?" Frisk asked.

"No, Und-eye-n!"


	8. Fusion Cuisine

"Undyne won't come, Frisk," Alphys said, her shoulders drooping underneath her lab coat. "She doesn't want to be near a human." Sans glanced over at Frisk, his brow bone raised in a questioning glance. "Especially not the human that escaped her," Alphys added.

"But I saw you help her," Sans said, a bit of confusion in his deep voice. "She chased you into Hotland, her armor got too hot. You gave her water, didn't you? To help her?" Frisk nodded, answering Sans' question. The skeleton looked to Alphys, adjusting the sleeves of his blue sweatshirt. "So why won't she see Frisk if Frisk saved her life?"

"Because Frisk is still alive," Alphys answered. "Undyne sees things very black and white. Good and evil, no in-between. And to her, Frisk is in the 'evil' category."

"Why?" Frisk asked, looking at Alphys and then at her own hands.  _Was she evil? She was just trying to help. If there was a way to free the monsters, Frisk wanted to find it._

"There's history. It isn't my place to tell you," Alphys said. "But I can tell you aren't bad. Maybe we could try something?"

"Something?" Frisk and Sans asked at the same time. Alphys looked a little nervous, but she turned her small, beady eyes to Frisk.

"I thought that you and I could...fuse. Undyne listens to me, she knows me, she could...if she knew..." Alphys trailed off. Frisk smiled softly, nodding. "Would that be okay?"

"Sure!" Frisk said, a little too enthusiastically. "I mean, if you think that it will help,"

"I think it might," Sans added. "I don't know her as well as Alphys seems to, but I do know she listens to her." Sans paused, his eyes lighting up. "You know who really knows Undyne? My brother! Papyrus idolizes her. I bet he could help us convince her."

"But what about the...fusion?" Alphys asked, seeming a little disappointed.

"We can still fuse!" Frisk said, trying to cheer up the little lizard monster. "It won't be for very long, but you can see what it's like! For your research," Frisk added. Alphys' eyes lit up, and she smiled widely.

"Okay," Alphys said, and Frisk smiled. Alphys went over to the speaker system, turning on the undanceable music. Frisk smiled, bouncing her head to the beat. Alphys started to dance to it as best she could, her small, awkward body dancing in small, awkward ways. Frisk tried to copy her, but eventually gave up trying, just dancing as best she could to the strange, bee-boppy music.

Frisk's soul began to glow red, and Alphys' eyes widened at the sight of her own glowing as well, a yellow that was just a few shades brighter than her skin. They danced a little bit longer, their souls grew brighter, and Alphys stepped forward. Frisk spun her around, laughing as Alphys stumbled over her own claws. Frisk's eyes closed with the laugh, and when she opened them, she and Alphys were one.

Alphys, Frisk, Alphys looked around. The form was pudgy and squat, a little yellow and spiny. A long, striped dress was under her white labcoat, the same colors as Frisk's shirt. Carefully, Frisk, Alphys, Frisk searched for a name. There had to be one. Alphys was hiding something, Frisk could tell. There was a big wall in the mind, a big empty space that Frisk couldn't get in, no matter how hard she tried. Through the form's eyes, Frisk, Alphys, Frisk could see Sans looking at them in amazement. Objectively, Frisk realized that it was probably strange to see another fusion after you had been one.

A name came to her, them, her. The form opened its mouth, an soprano, nervous tone coming out.

"Perserverance," she said, her voice trembling over the word. Perserverance's hands were shaking, and absentmindedly, she pushed up her glasses. They were empty frames, because the fusion didn't need them, but they still showed. "It's v-very nice to meet y-you," she stuttered out, the fusion going shaky. Perserverance was intelligent, just looking at an object sent tons of numbers and calculations through the form's mind, as though it were child's play. A warm up. The fusion continued to shake, the hold on the form slipping as though coated in ice or oil.

The fusion fell apart, and Alphys and Frisk landed apart from each other, both shaking. Frisk could feel nausea shuddering through her, causing her to shake. Alphys pushed her glasses up on her nose, trying to pull herself together. Sans walked to Frisk slowly, helping her up. She stood shakily, but walked over and helped Alphys up. Alphys took her hand gratefully.

"Thank you," Alphys said. Frisk wasn't sure what she was thanking her for, but she smiled widely. Sans looked at a clock on the wall.

"We ought to go talk to my brother," Sans said, tugging Frisk away.

"I promise we'll come back," Frisk said to Alphys, who nodded. "It won't take long."

* * *

"Riverperson? Are you here?" Sans called as they left the laboratory. Guards stood straight up in their armor, looking like medieval knights, blocking a path. Sans didn't pay them any attention, instead turning onto a path that was going the opposite direction of the guards. "I could use a shortcut, but I think you should know about the Riverperson. That way, you can use their services any time," Sans said to Frisk.

Sans led Frisk to a river that ran down by Hotland. It looked a lot like the water that had surrounded Waterfall, and Frisk could see that in the river was a little boat, ferried by a cloaked figure. Following behind Sans, Frisk walked towards the person on the boat. They were humming a tune that Frisk didn't recognize.

"Care for a ride?" the monster asked. Their voice was low alto, or maybe high tenor, it was hard to be sure. Sans nodded gruffly. "Where will we go today?"

"Snowdin," Sans answered. Frisk nodded behind him.

"Then we're off," the Riverperson answered. Sans and Frisk climbed onto the boat, and the Riverperson pushed off, nothing guiding their journey back to Snowdin. Frisk had to assume that it was magic. The Riverperson hummed the tune again, then decided to comment on the universe as they travelled. "I should have worn abot a million more pants today," they said. Sans shrugged, and Frisk giggled at his confused grin.

The boat landed in Snowdin, and Sans thanked the Riverperson before pulling Frisk onto land. They crunched through the snow, and Frisk suddenly remembered how  _cold_ it was in Snowdin. Finally, though, they ended up at Sans' house. They walked inside, the warmth a nice respite from the cold of the snowy cavern outside. Frisk wondered what it would be like to live in a cave your entire life. Remembering the orphanage, she thought that maybe she understood.

"Pap?" Sans called in his deep voice. There was no answer. "Bro?" Sans climbed the stairs, looking winded from the effort. Frisk was still a little shaky from Perserverance, and she sat on the couch, contemplating Alphys. Was the monster constantly that nervous? She had been hiding something from Frisk, the moment they fused it was obvious. But there was no way to know what the secret was, much less if it were something that involved Frisk at all.

Sans knocked on Papyrus' door to no avail. The tall skeleton, Sans' little brother, was gone. Sans frowned in confusion. Frisk noticed that Sans seemed to be constantly confused as well as hyper-aware. Being Integrity was fun - the jokes were always fun to tell, and the second time it hadn't been painful. As Sans searched the house, Frisk heard the door swing open. Papyrus stood in the doorway, holding a paper bag full of books and other things from around Snowdin.

"Brother??" Papyrus called, his tenor voice ringing through the house. Sans nearly crashed through a wall coming into the living room. "Sans! What are you doing?!" Papyrus cried as Sans raced towards him. A bit of panic was in the shorter skeleton's eyes. Frisk couldn't tell which one was younger, due to the height differences, but she guessed that it was Papyrus.

"I thought you were gone," Sans answered, out of breath. Papyrus laughed, setting down his bag and patting his brother's shoulder as the shorter skeleton hunched to catch his breath. "What's in the bag?"

"Puzzle pieces! I've designed a new device to help humans!!" Papyrus saw Frisk standing there, and a large grin broke onto his thin face. "Oh, hello, human!! Good to see you! You disappeared so quickly! We should have a party to celebrate your return!" Papyrus paused, his hand on his chin. "Perhaps some homemade spaghetti?!?" Frisk laughed.

"No thank you, Papyrus," Frisk started. She looked to Sans, the question of fusion clear in her eyes. The short skeleton understood immediately, and nodded, just barely. "I'd like to show you something, though." Sans stood to his full height and headed to the CD player, putting on the rock song that had played the second time they had fused.

Sans and Frisk danced around each other, quickly forming Integrity. The form opened its eyes, and Papyrus came into sharp focus. The tall skeleton was looking down at Integrity, shock in his oval eyesockets.

"Sans?!" Papyrus asked. Integrity laughed, a deep throated chuckle that made Papyrus laugh, too.

"Present," Integrity answered. "And we all know my presence is a gift," Integrity added. Papyrus scowled.

"Sans, what is this?!"

"A fusion," Integrity answered, extending their hand. "I'm Integrity. It's nice to meet you." Awestruck, Papyrus shook Integrity's hand. Somehow, even the skeleton was merely bone and magic, he had warm hands.

"How does this work?!" Papyrus asked, excitement and confusion thrumming across his white bones.

"I'm, we're, not sure, honestly," Integrity answered. "Magic, for sure, but..." Integrity didn't know how to finish the sentence. Two fusions in one day, and Frisk was starting to get tired. Sans noticed immediately, their fused souls in sync. "I'm going to leave now," they said, their deep voice perfectly calm. "Please don't be afraid." Integrity unfused, and Frisk stood, her vision blurring. Sans steadied her with his arm.

"You okay, kid?" he asked, his deep voice thrumming against Frisk's vibrating bones. Fusion was nice, but Frisk was really learning to love having her own body. She nodded, sitting on the couch. Papyrus was still slack-jawed and speechless. "Bro, you good?"

"Sans! Explain!" Papyrus answered, full sentences seeming to be too much for him.

"I can't," Sans said. "We don't know much. Just that dancing triggers it, and its a fusion of souls. And Frisk seems to be the key. No two monsters can fuse. No two humans can fuse. Just a monster, and Frisk." Sans looked to Frisk for confirmation, and Frisk gave him a thumbs up. She was settling, but she was getting tired. "Here, I'll get you some water, kid," Sans said, disappearing into the kitchen.

"So can I try?!" Papyrus asked Frisk, his eyesockets wide. "This fusion thing, it sounds... Fun!!!" Sans came back, a glass of water in his bone hands. Frisk took it gratefully, downing it in one gulp. The magic-imbued water fizzed down her throat and brought some of her energy back.

"Sure," Frisk said, shrugging. She set down the glass, standing back up. Papyrus put on a bright, peppy song that she had heard him humming as she had encountered him all along the way to Snowdin. That felt like a lifetime ago. They danced, Papyrus dancing in a very nerdy way, his long limbs making it awkward for him to do anything but the mashed potato. Frisk laughed, copying him.

Papyrus' soul glowed orange, matching intensity with Frisk's bright red. Their dancing synced, and Frisk moved closer to Papyrus. The tall skeleton tried to do a complicated spin, but ended up tripping over Frisk's small foot. She caught him, closing her eyes in surprise. When they opened them, they were tall. Frisk, Papyrus, Frisk could feel a tight piece of clothing across their chest, and could see Sans' surprised expression. 

"H-hi!" the new fusion said, a tenor voice coming out. Life seemed exciting and new. A red-orange glow danced around the room. It reminded Frisk, Papyrus, Frisk of a sunset. "I'm Bravery!!" The name just came to them, and the form had a thought. It was something new, something that had never been done. "Dance with me!!" Bravery told Sans. The song was still playing in the background, and Sans raised an eyebrow. The short skeleton was answered with a nod and a large smile.

The two, three, two of them began to dance, and Sans' soul glowed almost as brightly as Bravery's. Bravery picked up the small skeleton, throwing him upwards and catching him. Sans laughed, and when they opened their eyes, they were something else new. Sans, Papyrus, Frisk. Papyrus, Frisk, Sans. Frisk, Sans, Papyrus. Everything was different. The glow from this form's chest was multicolored, not fused completely, not settled on one color. Frisk was confused. Papyrus was a little bit scared. Sans felt sick.

"Family," the form breathed, a calm feeling coming over them. The voice that came out was something of an alto, something of a bass, and something of a tenor. It was pieces of the three of them, not completely together, not completely apart. Family closed their eyes, all six of them, and fell apart.

* * *

Frisk woke up last, on the green couch. Sans and Papyrus were talking quietly, and there was a glass of water next to the couch. Frisk drank it, her head still pounding. Four fusions in one day, it was exhausting. But the day wasn't over yet. Frisk still needed to talk to Undyne, to convince her that she wasn't bad. That she wasn't  _evil._ Frisk sat up, groaning. Papyrus looked over at her, his eyesockets lighting up when he saw that she was awake.

"Human!! You're awake!! We should go to the Riverperson right now!!" Papyrus said, his excitement clear. "Sans tells me that you need to talk to Undyne! Well, I have a plan to make you two great friends!! Let's go!!!"

"Are you up to it, Frisk?" Sans asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Of course!" Frisk answered a little too quickly. She was exhausted and sore, but this needed to be done. "Let's go, Papyrus!" With that, the skeleton led her out of their house and back to the Riverperson. They were still waiting in the same place Sans and Frisk had left them, still humming the same tune.

"Care for a ride?" the Riverperson asked. Frisk nodded. "Where to?"

"Waterfall," Papyrus answered, following Frisk onto the boat.

"Then we're off," the Riverperson said. Magic began to move the boat. "The waters are wild today. That's good luck," the Riverperson commented. The water was perfectly still in the river they travelled. Frisk decided not to correct them. When they reached Waterfall, Papyrus thanked them and led Frisk to Undyne's house.

"Are you ready to hang out with Undyne?" Papyrus asked Frisk. "Like I said, I have a plan." Frisk nodded and Papyrus grinned down at her. "Okay! Stand behind me!" Papyrus knocked on the large fish-shaped house's door, which was designed like sharp fangs. The fangs slid open, and Undyne, in a casual black tank top and dark skinny jeans, stood in the doorway. She was smiling at Papyrus, her eyepatch somehow less frightening without the armor.

"Hi, Papyrus!" Undyne said, a chipper tone to her low alto voice that only a while ago had been screaming at Frisk about destroying her. "Are you ready for your extra-private, one-on-one training?"

"You bet I am!" Papyrus answered. "And I brought a friend!" Papyrus moved aside, leaving Frisk in the open and in Undyne's line of vision. Frisk tried not to shake with exhaustion or fear.

"Hi, I don't think we've..." Undyne stopped her sentence short. The tall fish monster slid her eyes to Papyrus, anger suddenly painting her blue features. The tall skeleton shrugged slightly, keeping a forced smile on his skull. "Why don't. You two. Come in?" Undyne asked, her voice strained and angry. She was trying hard to be polite, it was obvious to Frisk. Papyrus smiled knowingly at Frisk, wiping his feet on the rug and stepping inside. Frisk copied him, taking a deep breath before stepping into the Royal Guardswoman's house.

It was cheerful inside, brightly lit and happy. The floor was yellow and blue tiles, both pastel, and there was a little kitchen and a small dining table as well. Frisk glanced around nervously. There was a piano, too, and Frisk briefly wondered if Undyne played. There was a door near the kitchen sink, which Frisk could only assume led to the rest of the house.

"So are we ready to start?" Undyne asked, trying her best to be polite and kind. She wasn't failing, but Frisk could see that it was paining Undyne to have a human in her home.  _Maybe I should leave,_ Frisk thought. Papyrus' loud tenor voice cut her thoughts off, though.

"Whoopsy doopsy!" Papyrus cried. "I just remembered I have to go to the bathroom!!" The words were obviously scripted, and Frisk tried not to flinch. "You two have fun!!!" Papyrus said, turning and jumping out the window. Frisk watched him, her eyebrow raised. Undyne watched as well, a sigh of frustration escaping her blue lips before she could stop it. Once Papyrus was gone, Undyne turned to Frisk.

"So why are  _you_ here?" she asked. Before Frisk could answer, Undyne continued. "To rub your victory in my face? To humiliate me even further? Is that it?" Undyne asked, her arms crossed over her chest angrily.

"No!" Frisk said, the exhaustion clear in her voice. It went over Undyne's head though.

"Then why are you here?" Once again, Undyne wouldn't let Frisk get a word in edgewise. "Wait, I get it. You think that I'm gonna be friends with you, huh?" Undyne's lip was curling with the words. "Right??"

"Y-yes?" Frisk asked, suddenly very unsure of why she was there in the first place.

"Really? How delightful! I accept!" Undyne was laughing, and Frisk felt like she was being played, but she was too tired to stop it. "Let's all frolick in the fields of friendship!" Frisk knew this one.  _Sarcasm._ "Not! Why would I  _ever_ be friends with  _you_!?" Undyne paused, squinting down at Frisk like she was a tiny bug. "If you weren't my houseguest, I'd beat you up right now! You're the enemy of everyone's hopes and dreams!  _I will never be your friend._ Now get out of my house!" Undyne cried, her anger slicing every word. Frisk was so tired she could barely move.

Papyrus was apparently still at the window, because Frisk heard his voice carrying through the empty space left when he broke the glass.

"Dang! I thought Undyne could be friends with you. But I guess...I overestimated her. She's just not up to the challenge." Papyrus said, and then stopped talking.

" _Challenge?!_ What!? Papyrus! Wait a second!" No response came from outside the window. "Darnit! He thinks I can't be friends with  _you_!?" Undyne laughed. "What a joke! I could make friends with a wimpy loser like you any day! I'll show him! Listen up, human. We're not just going to be friends. We're going to be...  _besties._ I'll make you like me so much... You won't be able to think of anyone else!!!" Undyne laughed again, mostly to herself. "It's the  _perfect revenge!_ Why don't you have a seat?"

Undyne motioned to seat at the table, and carefully Frisk sat, still wary of the fish monster. She made tea, and sat down at the table, drinking quietly with Frisk. The tea was a flavor Frisk had never had before, but it woke her up some. The four fusions of the day had been exhausting, but the tea was helping.

"You know... It's kind of strange you chose  _that_ tea. Golden flower tea... That's Asgore's favorite kind." Undyne took a sip of the tea, looking at Frisk. "Actually, now that I think about it... You kind of remind me of him. You're both  _total_ weenies!! Sort of." Undyne took a couple more drinks of the tea, and something about the drink and the company was making the monster talkative. "Y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore. Emphasis on  _tried,"_ Undyne said with a bit of a laugh. "I couldn't land a single blow on him! And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back. I was so humiliated... Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy... 'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?'"

Frisk was listening with rapt attention, now fully awake. A way to beat Asgore? He didn't sound mean, but it did seem like they would have to fight eventually. Frisk thought he was the king, and everyone seemed to love him. The Underground was full of faith in Asgore.

"I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt...bad. But he was beaming... I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked. Anyway, long story short, he kept training me... And now I'm the head of the Royal Guard! So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! Like, uh, Papyrus," Undyne said, smiling. "But, um, to be honest... I don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard. Don't tell him I said that! He's just... well, I mean... it's not that he's weak. He's actually pretty freaking tough! It's just that he's... he's just too innocent and nice!!!"

Undyne paused, downing the rest of her tea. Frisk's had been gone long ago.

"I mean, look, he was  _supposed_ to capture you...and he ended up being  _friends_ with you instead! I could  _never_ send him into battle! He'd get ripped into little smiling shreds. That's part of why...I started teaching him how to cook, you know? So, um, maybe he can do something else with his life." Undyne realized something with the words she said, and she slammed her cup onto the table. "Wait a second. Papyrus... His cooking lesson... He was supposed to have that right now!" Undyne looked angry now.

"But... I need to talk to you about something called fusion..." Frisk said, but Undyne ignored her.

"If  _he's_ not here to have it... You'll have to have it for him!!!"

 _Oh no,_ Frisk thought.


	9. Bubble Buddies

Undyne glared at Frisk, and Frisk swallowed thickly. Even after the golden flower tea, she was still tired. And now, she was going to have to  _cook?_ Undyne jumped onto the counter, kicking away some sugar and other drink options she had put on the counter. They landed on the floor, breaking into sticky, sugary puddles. Undyne stood on the other side of the counter, facing Frisk still sitting at the table.

"That's right!!!  _Nothing_ has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means that if I give you his lesson... we'll become closer than you can ever imagine!!!" Undyne yelled. Frisk knew that Napstablook's house was nearby, and she hoped that Undyne wasn't bothering the sad little ghost. Undyne laughed at Frisk's expression. "Afraid!? We're gonna be best friends!!!" Undyne jumped down from the counter, landing right next to Frisk. The impact shook the house's foundation.

Undyne picked Frisk up by her hair, pulling her nearly sideways from the chair she still sat in. The blue monster jumped once more to her kitchen counter, this time not landing on top of it. Undyne gingerly put Frisk back on the floor, standing, and Frisk could feel every part of her body that had been hurt in the past few days, despite the tea and other monster.

"Let's start with the sauce!!!" Undyne shouted. Frisk fought the urge to cover her ears. Undyne stomped her foot, and as the house shook, a few vegetables fell out of nowhere and landed with a few juicy thumps on the counter. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy! Now!! Pound them to dust with your fists!!"

Following Undyne's instructions, and trying to impress her, Frisk punched one of the tomatoes at full force. It fell over, not even bruised. Undyne looked at her for a moment before breaking into a huge grin.

"Yeah! Yeah! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! Now it's my turn!" Undyne shouted, flexing her muscles before pounding the vegetables into juice. Pieces of tomato clung to the skin of her face, but she turned to Frisk with a sheepish smile. "Uhh, we'll just scrape this into a bowl later," Undyne said quietly, still smiling. "But now!!" Undyne stomped again, and a pot of water and some spaghetti noodles fell down onto the stove.

Frisk looked up at Undyne, a little confused through her exhaustion. They were making spaghetti, which was Papyrus' favorite food. Undyne was agressive in everything she did, even cooking instructions. But the moment she realized she had gone too far, the monster reeled it back in. It was confusing, and slightly scary, but endearing. Frisk really hoped that they could be friends. It would be interesting to be fused with Undyne.

"We put the noodles in! Homemade noodles are the best!" Undyne said, and Frisk felt like she was the guest on a cooking show. "But I just buy store-brand! They're the cheapest!!!" Undyne was really on a roll now, her shouting shaking the foundation almost as much as her stomping. Undyne screamed, sounding like a battle cry, and Frisk flinched. Undyne calmed, the sheepish smile returning to her face. "Uh, just put them in the pot."

Frisk threw the box of spaghetti noodles into the pot as hard as she could, trying to match Undyne's level of intensity. The box clanked against the bottom of the empty pot. Undyne began to stir it, not even giving Frisk a chance to try. She used her magic, the cyan spear stabbing at the pot and noodle box until the pot was melted and falling over. Undyne then used her magic to turn on the stove, the cyan spear disappearing from the air, taking the crackle of magic with it.

Flames burst up from the stove, englufing the pot. Frisk could hear the box of noodles inside crackle with flames. Undyne simply turned the heat higher, watching the flames grow until they almost reached the ceiling. Frisk backed up a little bit, transfixed but terrified of the fire. Undyne kept making it hotter, watching the fire burn, muttering to herself and nearly screaming at her magic. Frisk didn't want to say anything, figuring that since Undyne was the adult, she knew what she was doing.

A huge blast turned Frisk's vision white. The entire world seemed to become more than silent, a small ringing in her ears. The ringing faded to silence, and the white turned to black when Frisk closed her eyes to shield from whatever had happened. When Frisk opened her eyes, her soul was glowing bright red, casting a warm glow through the destroyed home. The stove was blackened with soot, and the electricity was gone. The only light that was available was Frisk's glowing soul and the small patches of fire that had found places to burn around the house. Undyne turned to Frisk, her face covered in soot from the blast.

"Ah. Man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking." Undyne paused, wiping the black soot from her face. "So what's next? Scrapbooking? Friendship bracelets?" Undyne's face fell. "Oh, who am I kidding? I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you to like me, human. Some people just don't get along with each other. I understand if you feel that way about me."  _But I don't,_ Frisk wanted to say, but she couldn't find the words. "And if we can't be friends... That's okay. Because, if we're not friends... It means I can destroy you without regret!" Undyne shouted.

A cyan spear appeared in Undyne's hands, and she took a battle stance facing Frisk. Her eyes were down at the ground, but Frisk could see that they burned with anger. The fire that surrounded them was warm, and it reflected in Undyne's fish like eyes. Her tight red ponytail whipped in an invisible wind.

"I've been defeated, my house is in shambles... I even failed to befriend you. That's it. I don't care if you're my guest anymore." Undyne's eyes met Frisk, and she could see that they burned with anger and vengeance. "One final rematch! All out on both sides!!" Frisk was tired. She didn't want to fight Undyne, not again. She just wanted to see if Undyne knew anything about fusion, or if there was any way for her to know more about what was happening to her once she had entered the Underground. "It's the only way I can regain my lost pride!!! Now come on! Hit me with all you've got!"

Frisk could see the answer. It was easy. Just pretend to fight Undyne. She swung forward, pretending to use all of her strength. To Undyne, it looked like Frisk was trying her absolute best to destroy her. Frisk finished her swing, tapping Undyne lightly on the shoulder. Undyne's look of anger, vengeance, and smug victory faded away.

"What? That's the best you can manage? Even attacking at full force...you just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?" Frisk nodded, and Undyne cracked a half-smile. "Heh, you know what?" Undyne dropped her spear, and it disappeared in a crackle of magic. "I don't really want to hurt you, either. At first, I hated your stupid saccharine schtick, but... The way you hit me right now, it...reminded me of someone I used to train with."  _Asgore?_ "Now I know you aren't just some wimpy loser." Undyne grinned widely, the smile completely genuine. "You're a wimpy loser with a big heart! Just like him..."

Undyne paused, dropping her shoulders and running her fingers through her red hair. Frisk listened intently. Undyne was strong, but she also seemed vulnerable. Frisk wondered what she was truly like, what it would be like to fuse with her, to be one person with the intense, angry fish monster that stood before her.

"Listen, human. It seems that you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him... He probably doesn't want to. Talk to him. I'm sure you can persuade him to let you go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here...and I'll take  _their_ soul instead. That makes sense, right?" Undyne laughed a bit, and Frisk smiled. They were friends. It felt nice. "Oh, and if you  _do_ hurt Asgore... I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier, and beat the hell out of you! That's what friends are for, right?" Undyne laughed again. "Now let's get the hell out of this flaming house!"

Undyne led Frisk out of the flaming house and into the front. Fire was bursting from the house's windows, making it look like it was a fish with firey eyes.

"Well, that was fun, huh?" Frisk laughed a little nodding. "We'll have to hang out again another time!" Undyne said.

"Wait!" Frisk said, catching Undyne's wrist, even though the monster hadn't moved. "I need to ask you about something." Undyne crossed her arms, listening. "Have you ever heard of a monster and a human...fusing?"

"Fusing?"

"Mixing together to make one thing. One body, two souls. Or more, I guess," Frisk said, thinking back to Family. "But not like taking another soul. Like, mixing souls. Have you ever heard of that?" Undyne's eyes were wide with something, but Frisk couldn't tell if it was recognition or something else.

"Let's go to Snowdin," Undyne said. "Walking."

Undyne and Frisk backtracked through Waterfall, walking through swampy areas in total silence. Frisk could feel the humidity cling to her skin like the after effects of a fusion. A few monsters started towards Frisk, but since she was walking with Undyne, they left her alone. Frisk and Undyne walked under a waterfall, and a few rocks came tumbling down, about to hit them. Frisk's heart was racing, pounding in her chest at the prospect of getting crushed by a rock.

A bubble englufed both Frisk and Undyne, and the rocks tumbled down on top of them, bouncing off, harmless. Undyne looked at Frisk, her eyes wide. The bubble was tinted red, and thick like glass. Frisk pounded on it as though she could break it. It thunked loudly, but didn't break.

"What's this, human?" Undyne asked.

"My name is Frisk. And I have no idea," Frisk answered, walking forward. The bubble moved with her. "Let's get to Sans. He'll be able to help."

* * *

"What did you do, kid?" Sans asked, peering at the bubble. He tapped it with his bony finger, and when nothing happened, he shrugged. "Do you want me to pop it with a needle?"

"I don't think it'll work," Frisk answered, her fingers trying to find weak spots on the bubble. There didn't seem to be any. Undyne was sitting down, shivering. "It's really thick, like glass."

"Have you tried fusing?" Sans asked, adjusting his sweater. "Maybe if you aren't in control of your soul, it'll break the bubble." Sans was wearing a pair of reading glasses, which made him look like a scientist, even though he was still wearing his pastel pink slippers. "Do you think you can dance in there?"

"Dance?" Undyne said through chattering teeth. Her black tank top and skinny jeans weren't exactly the warmest things to be wearing in Snowdin.

"To fuse, I have to dance with you," Frisk explained, brushing her choppy brown hair out of her face. "It might pop the bubble, it might not do anything. But it's worth a try," Frisk continued.

"Okay." Undyne pulled her phone out of her back pocket and put on a song. It was angry and intense, like battle music. Frisk wondered if Undyne used the song to work out. Undyne started to dance, and Frisk did the same, her concentration focused on fusing and nothing else. Their souls began to glow, Undyne's green, Frisk's the same color as the bubble that surrounded the two.

Undyne danced agressively, almost angrily, and Frisk tried to match it. The tall monster spun Frisk around, and their souls melted together. The bubble popped as soon as the new form opened her eyes. Undyne, Frisk, Undyne cracked her neck, four arms holding fists at her side. Sans looked up at the fusion, looking like an ant compared to the fusion's size. The fusion cracked her knuckles, grinning widely. Sharp teeth filled her mouth.

The fusion laughed loudly, her laugh echoing through the cavern. Sans looked up at the fusion, pushing up his glasses and looking slightly afraid.

"Damn, it feels great to be me," the fusion said. "Justice is the name and the game. Don't wear it out, little man," Justice added, looking at Sans. He nodded in agreement, concerned. "This is great!" Justice shouted, punching the air with her four fists. It was a good thing that the cavern ceiling was high, because Justice seemed strong and tall. She summoned her weapon, and a magical spear came to life in her hands. It was cyan and crackled with intense magic, the tips of the spear sharped, polished blades.

"Maybe you should unfuse," Sans said, his deep voice quiet. Justice laughed again, tossing her spear over the house. It landed in the trees behind the house, cracking one in half with a loud breaking noise.

"No, thanks, skelebro. I like the way it feels to be me. I think I'll have some fun," Justice said. With that, she walked away, huge footprints left in the crunchy snow of Snowdin.

 


	10. Political Power

"This is great!" Justice cackled, traipsing through the edge of Snowdin and into Waterfall. Her four arms swung wildly at her sides, tapping the edges of the cavern and causing giant cracks to shudder through the walls. Monsters on the ground looked up at the giant fusion, terror in their eyes. "Damn! If Asgore could see me now. I could beat his ass in one tap!" Justice laughed again, stepping into the area of Waterfall where Undyne lived.

Justice's large foot squashed Undyne's house, the flames tickling the fusion's foot before going out for lack of oxygen. Justice could see the edge of the two houses next door, separated by a large wall of the cavern. One was blue, and one was pink. Neither of them interested her, but why not destroy things for the hell of it? There was no longer Frisk or Undyne. Only Justice. Maybe like this, Justice could cross the barrier. Set all of the monsters free.

Justice left the houses alone, storming through the rest of Waterfall and into Hotland. At the laboratory, Justice chuckled. It seemed so  _small_ from here, Alphys included. Justice decided not to bother the small anxious monster, even though a part of her was desperate to see her. Was it the Undyne part or the Frisk part? Justice couldn't tell. Justice stormed through Hotland, into areas Frisk had never seen before. Undyne knew every turn, though, so Justice traversed through with ease.

A few guards came up to Justice, shaking in their armor. Neither of them knew what a human looked like. Justice's striped tank top glared and glistened with sweat in the heat of Hotland.

"Uh, excuse us, are you like, the human Undyne told us to look for?" One of the guards, who had a rounder helmet, was speaking. Justice bared her sharp teeth, her large eyes blinking at the gaurds in anger.

"I'm not a human, you idiots. I'm Justice. Now get out of my way!" Justice's voice was brash and rough, a little lisping from the fangs, and it made the guards shake even harder in their armor. They seemed to be glued in place. Justice growled. "I said get the _hell out of my way_!" she screamed, her voice shaking the caves of Hotland. Possibly the entire Underground. The guards didn't move.

Justice pulled her spear out of thin air, the cyan magic crackling and sucking energy from the air around the guards. Hotland heated up even more, and the guards turned tail and ran before Justice could say another word.

"That's more like it," she muttered to herself, the spear disappearing with a final crack of magic. Justice turned, walking through and following a path into a hotel. It seemed strange that there was a hotel in Hotland, sort of hidden from the rest of the Underground, but Justice didn't care. Frisk would think it was strange, but Frisk wasn't the one finding the hotel. A large sign on the front read MTT HOTEL.

Justice kicked in the glass door, the shatter resounding through the inside. Thankfully, the hotel had high vaulted ceilings, so once Justice was inside, she only had to crouch a little bit. Another large sign read TO CORE and had a large arrow pointing in the right direction. Justice smiled, her fangs fully bared. None of the monsters in the hotel would meet Justice's multiple eyes.

The giant fusion marched on, disregarding the maze that seemed to be guarding the Core. She ignored the Core, too, heading even past Asgore's castle.  _The barrier._ It was glowing brightly, pulsating between blinding white and infinite ebony. Justice smiled widely at the Barrier, walking towards the area that seemed just like a door. The only way to cross was a human and a monster soul, combined. Just like a fusion. Just like Justice.

A stabbing pain stopped Justice in her path. It grazed her arm, and Justice immediately recognized the feeling as blue magic. It hurt her, made her feel heavy, but mostly just angry. Justice whipped around, the large fusion's angry footsteps shaking the cavern floor under the Barrier. Sans stood at the edge of the room that the Barrier was held in, an angry smirk on his face. His left pupil was glowing a bright blue, the color of Justice's spear, and a Gaster Blaster bobbed next to his hand.

"It's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming. On days like these,  _things like you should be burning in hell,"_ Sans said, a flicker of anger under his smile. Sans pulled up more Gaster Blasters, their white magic shooting at Justice's arms and legs. Her long ponytail, which was frizzed with heat and anger, was singed with the crackling magic. Justice summoned her spear, the cyan magic crackling through the room.

The Barrier behind Justice was thrumming with energy. Sans blasted another Gaster Blaster at the fusion, still avoiding injuring her badly. Justice cackled as she tossed her spear at Sans, who casually dodged it as though it were a simple game. It was so much more than that. Justice was going to save the monsters. That was why she was here. And now this scrawny, short skeleton was trying to stop her.

"Why don't you just separate and we can all sit down and relax?" Sans asked, his deep voice calm as he shot yet another Gaster Blaster beam at the fusion. Justice kicked him in the space below his ribcage, sending him flying backwards. The fusion's spear reappeared in her hands. Sans grunted, standing up and summoning a ball of blue fire into one of his hands. "Listen to me. You've been fused for too long. You're losing yourselves."

"I am myself!" Justice shouted, her raspy voice angry and brash. "And I'm tired of being split up! So you'd better get used to me, baby! And get out of my damn way!" Justice aimed her spear directly at Sans' chest. It sailed to its mark, but Sans dodged it with a simple move, chuckling under his breath. Justice heard it, which only made her angrier.

"You'll thank me later, kiddo," Sans said, aiming a Gaster Blaster at Justice's chest. It hit its mark, but it merely burnt her tank top. Justice looked at the short skeleton with anger flaming in her green and brown eyes.

"You think you're something?" Justice asked Sans, picking him up by his blue hoodie. In her large hands, the skeleton looked insignificant. "You." Justice tossed Sans to the ground like he was a bouncy ball. "Ain't." Sans stood shakily, and Justice picked him up, tossing him upwards and sending him flying faster with a punch. "Nothing." Justice jumped up, punching Sans into the barrier. He slid down the glowing wall, seemingly defeated. Justice cackled.

Sans stood up, summoning Gaster Blasters around Justice in a circle. The fusion continued to cackle, the burnt area of her tank top fixing itself with magic. Her fangs thrashed with her laughter, clacking together as though she were trying to eat the air around her.

"What? You want some more?" Justice asked. Sans nodded simply, anger in his singular blue pupil.

"Any time! You're no match for me! Not even close!" Sans shouted, his deep voice reverberating at the same frequency as the hum of the Barrier. The Gaster Blasters shot beams into Justice, who just laughed. The magic tickled. She threw her spear up into the air, assuming it would arc down to end the distraction that was keeping her from crossing the barrier.

"That all you got? You think that's enough to..." Justice's words were cut off by her spear slamming into her head, cutting the fusion straight down the middle. While the Gaster Blasters had done their job, Sans had used his blue magic to make her spear come crashing back down. Justice split apart, leaving Frisk and Undyne lying on the ground. Each of them were beat up pretty badly, Undyne had cuts all over her arms and legs, and Frisk was unconcious.

"Frisk! Undyne!" Sans said, racing to pick up the smaller human child. "Undyne, can you walk?" Sans asked, concern carefully masked in his bass voice. Undyne nodded, slowly pulling herself up from the ground. "We need to get to Alphys' laboratory."

"Let's go," Undyne said slowly, avoiding Sans' eyes. He was hurt as well, just as badly as she was. Frisk seemed to be in the worst shape, but she was the youngest. With a few steps away from the Barrier, the three of them began their journey back to the lab.


	11. Too Far

"What happened?!" Alphys cried as Sans and Undyne walked in, limping and carrying the unconcious Frisk. Undyne collapsed into a heap on the floor, dripping blood and sweat. Sans had a few cuts in his bones, and he looked exhausted. Frisk had dried blood under her nose, and Sans started to put her into a chair, but she snuggled into him, avoiding the chair. Sans smiled down softly, hugging her closer.

"Justice happened," Undyne answered from her pile. "Apparently the human and I do not work well together."

"You fused?!" Alphys said, rushing over to Undyne. Concern was clear in her eyes, but not really for anyone other than the blue fish-like monster.

"And it got quickly out of control," Sans answered, carefully putting Frisk down. This time, she didn't struggle. "I had to stop them, force them to unfuse. It was a big fight." Alphys nodded, brushing stray red hairs out of Undyne's eyes. The tall monster smiled up at the shorter one, sitting up gingerly. "Alphys, where do you keep your food?"

Absentmindedly, the small monster pointed a claw at the refridgerator, which had a large bag of dog food next to it. Sans went to the fridge, which was basically empty, and sighed when he opened the door.

"I'll be right back," he said, walking out the door with a limp. When the electronic door slid closed with a puff, Frisk shifted in her seat and peeled her eyes open. Her head was throbbing, her brown hair stuck to her face at odd angles, and everything was blurry.

"Wheream I?" Frisk mumbled, looking around the brightly lit laboratory with confusion in her eyes. Alphys' form blurred into view, still small and hunched over Undyne's hurt form. "Alphys? Undyne?" Frisk asked, her throat raw. Everything hurt, her insides felt like mush, and everything was too bright. Frisk couldn't remember what had happened, but it seemed bad. From what little she could see from Undyne, the tall monster was cut and bleeding, exhausted and hurt almost as badly as Frisk was, if not worse.

Alphys turned, seeing Frisk's brusied but open eyes. Her small, scaly mouth turned into a miniature  _o_ , and the small monster moved Undyne into a more comfortable position before waddling over to Frisk.

"Sans will be back as soon as he can," Alphys assured Frisk. Her statement only made Frisk more confused.  _Sans was here?_ The little human didn't really have the strength to respond, so Alphys gave her a small smile and returned to Undyne. Frisk took a big breath, feeling broken little pieces in her chest.  _Broken ribs?_ The pain made her nauseas, and Frisk swallowed thickly as the door of the laboratory slid open with a mechanic woosh.

Sans limped in, holding a huge bag labeled  **Grillby's** in bold, thick lettering. His eyes focused on Frisk, and for a moment, they blazed blue. Frisk was sure she had seen that look before, but full of anger and not concern. The blue faded quickly, and he made a beeline for the young human girl, pulling a burger out of the large Grillby's bag and handing it carefully to Frisk. She took it carefully, trying not to jog her broken ribs.

"How ya doin', kiddo?" Sans asked quietly, watching Frisk taking careful bites of the magical burger. Frisk could feel the magic tingling through her, and as soon as she could feel her ribs start to stitch together, Sans took out a burger of his own and took a large bite. The short skeleton sparkled, the cuts in his bones growing back together with the magic in the monster food.

Frisk groaned as she healed, the magic hurting a little as it pulled her body back together and fixed all the internal things she had hurt. Sans smiled a little, patting her arm softly before taking some food to Undyne. The hurt monster accepted it gratefully, taking a large bite from the burger that ended up looking like a shark bite. Frisk watched as the cuts and blood came back together, healing Undyne.

"What happened?" Frisk and Undyne asked in unison, part of their minds still in sync after the fusion. Sans and Alphys both looked at them, confused at their unclear memories. Sans' eyes flashed with the memory of the fusion, and Frisk gulped down a wave of nausea with another bite of magical burger.

"You two fused to get rid of the bubble you formed," Sans began. "The fusion, Justice, was a little out of control." Frisk could tell that Sans was sugar-coating what he was saying. "I had to fight the fusion to separate the two of you," Sans said. "You were strong together. But reckless and angry." The short skeleton looked pointedly at Undyne, and then Frisk. "Never do that again."

Frisk just nodded, phantom aches racing over her body. Undyne nodded too, blushing purple in embarassment. Sans smiled a little, finishing his burger in silence with the rest of them. When they were done, he nodded and left the laboratory, heading in the direction of Snowdin. Undyne stood, too, healed from the magic in the monster food. Frisk still hadn't quite figured out how it worked, but it was magic, so was there really a rhyme or reason?

"I should go home too," Undyne said, resting her hand on Alphys' spikes before walking out of the laboratory. Frisk watched her go with large brown eyes.  _Justice._ The fusion had no memories that Frisk could access, but there was a phantom feeling of anger, of intense need to do something. To save people. Destruction. Snippets of memories that couldn't seem to stitch themselves together floated around in Frisk's mind, and she tried her best to wash them away.

Alphys watched the monster go, too, a look of longing and disappointment in her beady eyes.  _Did Alphys have a crush on Undyne?_ Frisk had heard about girls who liked girls back on the Surface, in the human world, but she didn't think that the tendency extended to monsters. The thought of the two monsters holding hands brought a smile to the young human's face, though. The two would look cute together, she decided.

"Frisk, using my knowledge, I can easily guide you through Hotland! I know a way right to Asgore's castle, no problem!" Alphys paused, and Frisk's eyes lit up with the prospect of help. "Well, um, there's actually just one tiny issue. A long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton. Originally, I built him to be an entertainment robot. Uh, you know, like a robotic TV star or something. Anyway, recently I decided to make him more useful. You know, just some small practical adjustments."

_Small practical adjustments?_ Frisk had no idea what Alphys was going on about.

"Like, um...Anti...anti-human combat features? Of c-course, when I saw you coming, I immdiately decided... I have to remove those features! Unfortunately, I may have made a teensy mistake when doing so. And um... now he's an unstoppable killing machine with a thirst for human blood?" Alphys laughed nervously.  _This was not funny._ "But, um, hopefully we won't run into him!"

Frisk stood up, making for the door. It wasn't that she didn't want to continue the conversation with Alphys, but she figured that since Alphys seemed to know a lot about the Underground, she could easily get her phone number and guide her through Hotland and to the Barrier. There was so much to do, so much of the Underground to get through before Frisk could help the monsters. And now that she was better, she wanted to get started as soon as possible.

Before Frisk could even make it past Alphys, the wall burst open to reveal a robotic box with a wheel on it. It looked like a television, a box with a screen, but it had arms and a wheel.

"Ohhhh yes! Welcome, beauties, to today's quiz show!!!" A deep voice came out of the robot, which Frisk could only assume was Mettaton. Glittering lights, confetti, and a large sign that read GAME SHOW came drifting down into view. "Oh boy! I can already tell it's gonna be a great show! Everyone give a big hand for our wonderful contestant!"

The robot began to clap, and a clap track played from an unknown speaker. Frisk felt like she was on a game show back on the Surface, one that the people running the orphanage she lived in would play every night at six thirty p.m. sharp. Frisk shifted nervously, and the robot spoke again. Frisk could tell that the words were aimed at her.

"Never played before, gorgeous? No problem! It's simple! There's only one rule!" The robot spoke like a flamboyant man, very opinionated and seeming like he was announcing something wonderful instead of a plot to kill her. "Answer directly...or you die!!!" Frisk gulped, but it seemed she didn't have a choice in the matter. "Let's start with an easy one! What's the prize for answering correctly? Is it A, Money, B, Mercy, C, a New Car, or D, More questions?"

Alphys had slid behind Mettaton, holding up a D with her claws. Frisk answered in the same way. Every question Mettaton asked, Alphys showed her the answer with shaking yellow claws. She seemed scared, but there also seemed to be more to it than that. Almost as though she knew something that Frisk didn't know, like she knew the answers before they were even asked. It seemed strange, but Frisk just went along with it. Going along was the only option other than being killed by a bloodthirsty robot.

Mettaton continued in his announcer voice, casting off questions with ease and praising Frisk when she got them correct. He also seemed to be oblivious to Alphys behind him, showing Frisk every answer with her claws. It was a game. A terrifying, dangerous, deadly game. But a game nonetheless.

"Oooh! I have a question you'll be sure to know the answer to! Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on? Is it A, Undyne, B, Asgore, C, The human, or D, Don't know?"

"A, Undyne," Frisk said with confidence. Alphys was clearly sweating, but Frisk had seen the way the two had looked at each other. It was painfully obvious how much Alphys had cared for the tall blue monster, and how much the feeling had been mutual. It seemed that both were blind to the other's feelings, though.

"See, Alphys? I told you it was obvious," Mettaton said, his pixels shifting in Alphys' direction.  _So he did know she was helping her._ Alphys was blushing brightly, pink showing clearly through her yellow scales. The blush soon turned red and blotchy, though, and Frisk felt badly for answering correctly. "Even the human figured it out," Mettaton continued. "Yes, she scrawls her name in the margins of her notes. She names programming variables after her. She even writes stories of them together...sharing a domestic life. Probability of crush: 101%. Margin of error: 1%."

Mettaton rolled forward, addressing Frisk directly. Even though the robotic monster was basically just a television with wheels, a box bot, he seemed to be looking right at her. Maybe there was more to him, too? Frisk wasn't sure. Since she met Alphys, fusing had gotten more complicated. The Underground itself had gotten more complicated.

"Well, well, well. With Alphys helping you, the show has no dramatic tension! We can't go on like this!" The robot was really hamming it up, making big movements with his metal arms and pretending to swoon. "But! This was just the pilot episode! Next up, more drama, more romance. More bloodshed! Until next time, darlings!" Mettaton folded into himself, a rocket appearing where his wheel had been and flying him away. Alphys and Frisk watched him go, their eyes following his path upwards until he broke a hole in the laboratory's roof. Hot, humid air filtered in, and Alphys sighed.

"Well, that was certainly something." Frisk nodded, walking over to Alphys and handing her the phone that Toriel had given her. With a gasp, Alphys snatched it away. "You need adjustments!" With quick work, Alphys fixed Frisk's phone into something much more modern, and put in her phone number before giving it back. "There you go! C-call me if you need anything!"

Frisk nodded with a smile, slipping the newly adjusted phone into her pocket. With one last look back at the small yellow lizard monster, Frisk walked out into Hotland, a small itch in the back of her mind.

_Justice._


	12. Chille Tid

The air in Hotland was muggy and stuck to Frisk's skin as she walked through, waiting for Alphys to call her on her new fancy cell phone. She wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do, but there were a few puzzles that she figured out quickly. There were conveyer belts that carried her through the hot weather, which was kind of nice considering there were rivers of sweat sliding across Frisk's skin.

As Frisk walked through, she could hear the whoosh of gears and cogs turning, running the Underground. Hotland seemed to be an industry hub, maybe the center of all the power in the Underground. There were steam vents ahead of her, which blew steam forcefully in a certain direction. Arrows were painted onto the vents, showing which way the steam would blow.

Frisk walked forward, careful around the vents. As she neared it, she could feel the hot steam on her face and hands. Frisk started to back away, but the dust on the ground was slippery, and she instead fell forward. Frisk fell into the steam, where she was thrown forward, to the side of another vent. She landed on her hands and knees, which were skinned a bit by the dusty, hot ground. She stood, spitting the gritty sand out of her mouth. There were more vents, which could carry her different directions, depending on the red arrow on them.

After travelling through a few of them, Frisk got the hang of riding the steam vents, and she went on, working her way through until there was another path. Frisk was starting to get used to the heat and humidity of Hotland, although she could still feel sweat all over her body. Frisk found an abandoned frying pan, which she picked up and held by her side like it was a weapon. If it came down to it, she supposed that it could be used as a weapon.

Frisk's phone rang, but before she could answer it, whoever had called had hung up. Frisk could only assume that it was Alphys. The little yellow monster had seemed nervous, and Frisk remembered the feeling of Perseverance and the jitters that had followed the fusion. It couldn't be easy living like that. So, Frisk walked on. There was nothing where she had walked to, so she went backwards through the puzzle and found where the next road was.

Lasers were zipping across the path, blue and orange that Frisk could see ahead of her. Frisk's phone rang once again, and this time she was able to answer the call.

"Uhh...Hi, so...the blue lasers...uh... I mean, Alphys here! Hi! The blue lasers won't hurt you if you don't move! O-orange ones, um...y-you have to be moving, and they...um, they won't, um... Move through those ones! ...uhhh...bye!" Alphys hung up, leaving Frisk standing in front of the lasers. Blue ones were like blue attacks - don't move while they pass over you. Orange were the opposite.

Despite Alphys' strange explanation, Frisk understood it. She made her way through the lasers, none of them hurting her. On the other side of the lasers, there was a switch. Frisk flipped it, turning off the lasers. At least if she had to go back, she wouldn't have to go through the lasers again. Frisk walked on, with Alphys calling her a few more times to give her instructions.

She solved some puzzles to open doors, and she ran into the robotic Mettaton again, where he made her participate in a deadly cooking show. Alphys helped her through, and Frisk got through the game with ease. She walked on, seeing a dark ominous structure in the distance. It looked like a giant machine. Frisk walked on past it. Alphys called and told her it was called the Core, and it was the source of all the power in the Underground. The Core was the goal, the place that Frisk was headed to. She walked on.

* * *

After fighting two guards who turned out to be in love, a spider monster that was having an overly-priced bake sale, and buying a few hot dogs from Sans, Frisk was exhausted. She had also fought Mettaton again, defusing bombs that didn't really make sense. Frisk didn't question it, the villain was a robot. He wasn't exactly meant to make sense. Frisk curled up in a corner, the sweltering heat making a warm blanket that wrapped her up as she slept.

When Frisk woke up, she continued on. She walked into a purple-shaded area, which reminded her a bit of a set for a play. There was a poster on the wall explaining what the show was about:  **A tragic tale of two star-crossed lovers, kept apart by the tides of fate...** It was almost time for the show. Frisk walked on, coming into what looked like the set for a romantic play.

"Oh? That human... Could it be?" Mettaton came out onto a balcony, the robot's boxy form covered with a puffy tulle gown. It was blue, and clearly, even though Mettaton's voice was programmed to be deep and masculine, the robot was playing the female in the love story. "...my one true love?" Frisk sighed, tired of Mettaton's antics. She always won his silly games, and he didn't even act like he cared.

Picking up his skirt, the robot carefully hopped down the stairs, coming to the same level as Frisk. It was a slow descent, and Frisk rolled her eyes impatiently. There were things to do, a Barrier to reach, and monsters to save. She didn't have time to fake love with an entertainment robot named Mettaton. If she wasn't living it, she was sure that this would be hilarious. But she was the one waiting at the bottom of the staircase, so it wasn't funny at all.

Music began to play, and Mettaton's screen lit red before he began to sing along to the music. Apparently, this show involving star-crossed lovers was a musical. Just great. This was wonderful.

"Oh my love, please run away, Monster King forbids your stay. Humans must live far apart even though it breaks my heart. They'll put you in the dungeon, it'll suck and then you'll die a lot." Cherry blossoms were flying across the set like a Japanese anime. Mettaton started to file the hands that were attatched to his tubular metal arms, even though he didn't actually have nails. "Really sad, you're gonna die, cry cry cry. So sad it's happening."

Mettaton rested a metal hand on Frisk's head, the music calming a bit as though it needed to be quieter to unmask some dialogue. Frisk could tell something was about to happen, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"So sad," Mettaton said. "So sad that you are going to the dungeon." The box robot moved away from Frisk, his dress blowing in the carefully staged wind. "Well, toodles!" Frisk felt the floor beneath her give out, and she fell through darkness. It was falling down the mountain all over again. The scream was ripped from her throat, leaving her falling in silence.

Frisk landed on her back, red dust clouding around her. She coughed, seeing a pink flame coming out of the bottom of Mettaton's blue dress as he gracefully floated down after her. Frisk picked herself up, standing and brushing the sand from her clothing. Mettaton floated over Frisk's head, and she figured that this was all a part of the show.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do? My love has been cast away into the dungeon. A dungeon with a puzzle so dastardly, my paramour will surely perish!" Frisk looked forward, and she saw a puzzle that she recognized from earlier in her journey. Papyrus had stuck her with it, but it had turned out to be a straight path forward. He had listed off a whole paragraph of instructions, but Frisk couldn't remember anyone. She thought maybe red was bad. Blue was good? Yellow was okay? She had no idea what she was doing. "O, heavens have mercy! The horrible colored tile maze!"

Frisk sighed, wishing that the robot would stop overacting. He wasn't going to kill her, if he would just get on with the show they would all be happier. Frisk could tell that something was going on that she wasn't really a part of, and she couldn't help but feel like something about Mettaton was off. Alphys had told her that the boxy robot was a human killing machine. But that wasn't quite right, because she wasn't dead yet.

"Each colored tile has its own sadistic function. For example, a green tile sounds a noise, and then you must fight a monster. Red tiles will... Actually, wait a second. Didn't we see this puzzle about hundred miles ago? That's right. You remember all the rules, don't you?" Mettaton asked Frisk. He continued before Frisk could answer. "Great... Then I won't waste your time repeating them!! Oh, and you'd better hurry. Because if you don't get through in 30 seconds..." A wall of flame appeared behind Frisk. "You'll be incinerated by these jets of fire!!"

Mettaton laughed, and Frisk stared at the fire behind her. She could feel its crackling heat on her skin, so she knew that it was real. Maybe this time, the robot was serious.

"My poor love! I'm so filled with grief, I can't stop laughing! Good luck, darling!" A timer appeared, and Mettaton sang in the background as Frisk tried to go through the puzzle. She got stuck, though, and ran out of time. Mettaton was overacting as the flames slowly approached her. There were two walls of flame, hugging each side of her, as Frisk stood as still as a statue. As soon as they were almost scorching her skin, the flames stopped, as did Mettaton. He gave a robotic sounding cough, and Frisk's phone rang.

"Watch out! I'll save you! I'm hacking into the firewall right now!" Alphys said. A few moments later, the fire died out. Mettaton gasped, the metal sound grating against Frisk's ears.

"Oh no!!! How could this happen??? Foiled again by the brillaint Doctor Alphys!!" Frisk's phone was on speaker, so instead of letting Frisk respond, Alphys did.

"That's right! Come on, Mettaton, give up already! You'll never be able to defeat us... Not as long as we work together! Your puzzle's over.. Now go home and leave Frisk alone!"

"Puzzle? Over? But you stepped on a green tile! Have you forgotten what they do? They make a sound, and then you have to fight a monster! Well, darling, I'm your monster!" Frisk's soul began to glow red as Mettaton attacked. If a screen could look surprised, Mettaton's did.

"Frisk! Check your phone's ACT menu!" Alphys said. Frisk did, Mettaton hanging back in surprise. There was a button titled 'Yellow'. Frisk pressed it, and she felt a jolt of magic crackle from her phone up her arm. Her soul turned yellow, becoming a little peashooter weapon. If she clenched her fist, her soul shot a jolt of magic at Mettaton.

Still surprised at her glowing soul, Mettaton took her attacks without a reaction. After one successful hit, he seemed to snap back to attention.

"Ooh! Ooooooh! You've defeated me! How can this be, you were stronger than I thought, etcetera. Whatever!" Mettaton rolled away, waving at Frisk as he left.

"Y-you did really great out there!" Alphys said, stuttering.

"All thanks to you," Frisk said, the yellow glow on her chest fading.

"What?" Alphys said. "Oh, no...you were the one doing everything cool! I just wrote some silly programs for your phone...um...h-hey, this might sound strange, but...c-can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Frisk said, sitting down. She was tired after using magic and fighting, even though this had been her first encounter of the day.

"B-before I met you, I d-didn't really... I didn't really like myself very much. For a long time, I f-felt like a total screw-up. L-like I couldn't do a-anything w-without... w-without ending up letting everyone down. B-but...! Guiding you has made me feel...a lot better about myself. So...thanks for letting me help you." Alphys paused, and Frisk could hear the small monster swallow with regret. "Uhhhh, anyway, we're almost to the Core. It's just past MTT Resort. Come on!"

* * *

When Frisk reached the hotel, Sans was standing outside. His bony hands were in his sweatshirt pockets, and he had the same stupid grin on his face that he always wore. Frisk smiled at the friendly skeleton, waving a little. He nodded in her direction.

"Hey," Sans said. Frisk walked closer to him so he didn't have to yell. "I heard you're going to the Core. How about grabbing some dinner with me first?"

"Yeah, sure," Frisk said.

"Great, thanks for treating me." Sans started to walk, leading Frisk to where he was going. "Over here. I know a shortcut." The two walked on, and Frisk followed Sans into a black alleyway. She blinked, and they were sitting at a table in the resteraunt in the resort. Frisk didn't want to question how they got there. "Well, here we are. So. Your journey's almost over, huh?"

"I guess it is, isn't it?" Frisk said. Even though she knew that she was going to the Core, it seemed like the end of her trip was still pretty far away.

"You must really wanna go home." Frisk shrugged. "Hey. I know the feeling, buddo. Though...maybe it's better to take what's given to you. Down here you've already got food, drink, friends. Is what you have to do...really worth it?" Sans turned a bit, not looking at Frisk.

What she had to do? Frisk didn't understand. Didn't she just cross the barrier? Couldn't she release the monsters? Wouldn't that be worth it? Wasn't all of this worth it? There was nothing else for her on the Surface, just the orphanage. The skeleton turned back to Frisk, adjusting his blue sweatshirt as he did so.

"Ah, forget it. I'm rootin' for ya, kid." Sans paused. They hadn't even ordered food, so it wasn't much of a dinner. "Hey. Let me tell you a story. So I'm a sentry in Snowdin Forest, right? I sit out there and watch for humans. It's kind of boring. Fortunately, deep in the forest...there's this huge locked door." Sans winked. The door to the Ruins. The one Frisk had come out of. "And it's perfect for practicing knock knock jokes."

"Uh-huh," Frisk said, trying to show interest.

"So one day, I'm knocking 'em out, like usual. I knock on the door and say 'knock knock.' And suddenly, from the other side, I hear a woman's voice. 'Who's there?'" Sans said, doing a terrible imitation of Toriel's voice. Maybe it was distorted by the thick door. "So, naturally, I respond: 'Dishes.'" Sans continued to tell the story, switching between his normal voice and his falsetto Toriel. "'Dishes who?' 'Dishes a very bad joke.' Then she just howls with laughter. Like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. So I keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing. She's the best audience I've ever had. Then, after a dozen of 'em, _she_ knocks and says... 'Knock knock.' I say 'Who's there?'. 'Old lady!' 'Old lady who?' 'Oh! I did not know that you could yodel!'"

Frisk laughed at the joke, not entirely sure where the story was going. It did seem like a joke Toriel would say. Frisk could picture the goat monster in her mind, her soft fur and kind eyes. The way they felt together, Kindness tingling on Frisk's skin for just a moment.

"Wow. Needless to say, this woman was extremely good. We kept telling each other jokes for hours. Eventually, I had to leave. Papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story. But she told me to come by again, and so I did. Then I did again. And again. It's a thing now."  _A dating thing?_ "Telling bad jokes through the door. It rules." Sans paused again.

Frisk couldn't tell where this story was going. Sans and Toriel were friends, which made a weird sort of sense. It was a longwinded story, though, and Frisk wanted to go on. She didn't know how the journey would end, or how this story would end, but she wanted to find out. Sans looked serious now.

"One day, though, I noticed she wasn't laughing very much. I asked her what was up. Then she told me something strange. 'If a human ever comes through this door...could you please, please promise something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' Now, I hate making promises. And this woman, I don't even know her name. But...someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has an integrity you can't say no to."

Frisk wasn't too sure about that, but she didn't comment. She wanted to tell Sans that the woman's name was Toriel, that she was beautiful and kind and so much more than a joke lover, but the skeleton continued.

"Do you get what I'm saying? That promise I made to her... You know what would have happened if she hadn't said anything?" Sans closed his eyes, pausing once again. When he opened his eyesockets, his pupils were completely gone, leaving black holes in his face. "...buddy. You'd be dead where you stand." Frisk swallowed thickly, trying not to show her fear. Sans was always so funny and kind... He looked at her, his pupils returned. "Hey, lighten up, bucko! I'm just joking with you!" Sans winked. "Besides, haven't I done a great job protecting you? I mean, look at yourself. You haven't died, and you've fused with a lot of monsters."

Frisk agreed. Sans had done a pretty good job of not letting her get too badly hurt, when he had been around at least. Sans stood up, walking away from the table. He turned back smiling at Frisk.

"Well, that's all. Take care of yourself, kid. 'Cause someone really cares about you." With that, Sans walked away. Frisk smiled to herself before standing up and walking out into the resort.


	13. Keystone Motel

Frisk walked on, through the resort, until she came to Mettaton. It seemed like this was the final battle, the last hurrah between the robot and Frisk. Frisk faced the boxy robot, standing bravely. The door she came in from slammed shut behind her, leaving her alone in the dark room with Mettaton. The two stood on a platform, staring each other down.

"Oh yes. There you are, darling. It's time to have our little showdown. It's time to finally stop the 'malfunctioning' robot...not! Malfunction? Reprogramming? Get real. This was all just a big show. An act," Mettaton said. Frisk had to admit that he was good at the dramatic monologue, even for a robot.

"What?" Frisk asked, confused.

"Alphys has been playing you for a fool the whole time," Mettaton continued. "As she watched you on the screen, she grew attatched to your adventure. She desperately wanted to be a part of it. so she decided to insert herself into your story. She reactivated puzzles. She disabled elevators. She enlisted me to torment you. All so she could save you from dangers that didn't exist. All so you would think she's the great person...that she's not."

"Alphys wouldn't do that!" Frisk said. The two had fused, the scientist had helped Frisk understand fusion. Helped her through Hotland, helped her with Justice and Sans. But the wall that had separated them as Perseverance, it flew to Frisk's mind. Was this what Alphys had been hiding?

Mettaton's screen blinked, as if he was nodding. "And now, it's time for her finest hour. At this very moment, Alphys is waiting outside the room. During our 'battle', she will interrupt. She will pretend to 'deactivate' me, 'saving' you one final time. Finally. She'll be the heroine of your adventure. You'll regard her so highly she'll even be able to convince you not to leave."

"It would still be my decision," Frisk said stubbornly.

"...Or not. You see, I've had enough of this predictable charade. I have no desire to harm humans. Far from it, actually. My only desire is to entertain. After all, the audience deserves a good show, don't they? And what's a good show without a plot twist?"

Frisk watched Mettaton with confusion and curiosity. The door slammed shut behind her, a loud thump sealing her fate. Frisk felt a rush of air hit her back from the movement.

"H-hey!!! Wh-wh-what's going on!?" Frisk could hear Alphys' voice, nervous and confused, through the thick door. Her heart twisted. Mettaton had been right. "Th-th-the door just locked itself!"

The platform that Mettaton and Frisk were on began to glow red, lights popping up like a stage. Frisk saw some cameras come out of the shadows, little red lights on them proving that they were recording. She swallowed thickly, her skin coated with fear and sweat. Something had changed. Mettaton didn't seem to be talking to her anymore.

"Sorry, folks! The old program's been cancelled! But we've got a finale that will drive you willd!! Real drama! Real action! Real bloodshed! On our new show... 'Attack of The Killer Robot'!"

Frisk felt her heart glow red, and she prepared for a fight. This had turned from an explanation to an attack quickly, and Frisk was honestly tired of fighting. Quickly, remembering the last time she had fought Mettaton, she hit the button on her phone, which let her shoot magic from her soul. She didn't know how it worked, but at this point, she didn't care.

Alphys shouted something about a switch on Mettaton's back, and the moment he turned around to face a floating camera, Frisk leapt forward and hit it. The robot shuddered a bit, spinning back to her.

"Did you just flip...my switch?" he asked in his deep robotic voice. The small boxy robot shuddered and shook, his screen seeming to go haywire. "Oh, yes." The battlefield filled with smoke, and spotlights turned on, settling on a large hazy cloud. Dramatic effect, and all. The silhouette of a man came into view.

Frisk stared on with fascination, confused and curious. She didn't speak, the glow in her chest fading a little in awe. It started up with fear pretty quickly, though. Mettaton spoke again.

"Ohhh my. If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude... Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So... as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments...absolutely beautiful!" At this, Frisk knew that the fight had begun.

Mettaton fought like a dancer, turning their battle into entertainment. Frisk knew that she was being filmed, so she fought the same style as he was, avoiding his flying robotic legs and miniature glitter bombs. She posed and danced, shooting at Mettaton's heart whenever he showed it. Somehow, she managed to hurt his body enough for his metallic arms to fall off.

"Arms? Wh-who needs arms with legs like these? I'm still going to win!" The fight continued until Mettaton was only a torso and head of a robot. There were large screens around the battlefield, counting ratings. Frisk hadn't really been paying attention to them, but she could see the numbers were well above 10,000. Mettaton's robotic eyes watched them, a smile on his metal face.

Frisk knelt next to Mettaton, pulling his torso into her lap and supporting his head. He smiled wider, staring at the screens. Cameras were zooming around them, but Frisk ignored them. He may have been fighting her just a few moments ago, but at least he had been honest with her. Frisk felt like she was losing a friend.

"Ooh! Look at these ratings! This is the most viewers I've ever had!!! We've reached the viewer call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me...before I leave the Underground forever!! Let's see who calls in first!" Mettaton's chest rang, a small speaker built into his body. The call was automatically picked up. "Hi! You're on TV! What do you have to say on this, our last show?"

"Oh............hi....Mettaton....." the caller said. Frisk recognized the voice. It sounded like the sad ghost she had met in the Ruins, Napstablook. His voice sounded even more wobbly than usual. "I really liked watching your show.... My life is pretty boring...but... seeing you on the screen....brought excitement to my life......vicariously." Napstablook paused. "I can't tell, but.....I guess this is the last episode...? I'll miss you......Mettaton....." There was a shaky breath through the speaker. "Oh....I didn't mean to talk so long....oh...."

"No, wait! Wait!! Bl..." The distinct click of an ended call sounded. Mettaton's face fell. "H... They already hung up." He paused, looking sad for a moment. "I'll take another caller!" He did, each caller telling Mettaton how much his show had meant to them. Frisk watched his face, smiling a little at how much the monsters loved this overly dramatic, silly robot.

* * *

Frisk walked away from the room, a small smile on her face. Mettaton had chosen to stay in the Underground, even as his body's batteries had died. He had also given her a small key. Thinking back, Frisk thought she knew what it was for. There was a locked, dark pink house similar to Napstablook's house right next to his. Frisk rubbed the key between her fingers, walking onwards.

Alphys had burst into the room as soon as Mettaton's batteries had died, nervous and worried over him. She had tried to convince Frisk that he was just a robot, but Frisk thought that there was more to the story than that. Alphys had told her to go on ahead, which she had, even though she wasn't sure she trusted the royal scientist anymore.

Frisk heard footsteps behind her, and she stopped, letting Alphys catch up.

"S...sorry about that! L-let's k-keep going!" Frisk nodded, walking a little more. Alphys followed, staying a few steps behind. "S-so you're about to meet Asgore, h-huh? You must be... You must be... Pr... Pretty exicted about all that, huh?" Frisk nodded again, not really wanting to talk to Alphys. "You'll f-f-finally... You'll finally get to go home!"

Frisk made it to the elevator, pressing a button and watching the doors slide open before her eyes. She stepped inside, her foot halfway in before Alphys spoke again.

"W...wait!" Frisk turned back to Alphys, trying not to look annoyed. "I mean, um... I... I was just going to...um. Say goodbye, and... um..." Alphys turned around, mumbling at the floor. "I can't take this anymore." Alphys wasn't facing Frisk anymore, her shoulders drooping under her labcoat. "I lied to you. A human soul isn't strong enough to cross the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul... and a monster soul." Alphys turned back to Frisk. "If you want to go home...you'll have to take his soul. You'll have to kill Asgore."

Alphys started to walk away, but before she was out of Frisk's hearing range, she said one more thing. Even though Frisk knew that Alphys had lied to her about a lot more than the barrier, her words broke Frisk's heart.

"I'm sorry," Alphys said as she walked away. Frisk watched her go before ignoring the elevator and following her. Not necessarily to talk to Alphys, but to go try the key that was still heavy in her hand. She walked out of the MTT hotel, back through Hotland, and found the Riverperson. Frisk climbed on the boat, heading back to Waterfall.

It was a quiet ride, and Frisk nearly leapt off the boat when it finally stopped. She raced up to the pink house, sliding the key inside. Six journals laid on the floor, and Frisk picked one up, pulling it open.

_Dear Diary: Shyren's sister "fell down" recently. It's sad. Without her sister to speak for her... She's become more reclusive than ever. So I reached out to her, and told her... That she, Blooky, and I should all perform together sometime. She seemed to like that idea._

Frisk smiled, remembering Shyren. They had met in Waterfall, and sort of fought, although it was more singing than anything. She was quiet and shy, sitting all alone in a corner. Frisk had felt bad for her, but she had at least made her smile, so that was something. Frisk moved on to the next diary.

_Dearer Diary: I like to buy a new diary for every entry I make. I love to collect diaries._

Frisk moved on to the next, laughing a bit at the last entry.

_Dearest Diary: Our cousin left the farm to become a training dummy. That leaves just Blooky and I. Blooky asked me if I was going to try to become corporeal, too. They sounded so... Resigned... Come on, Blooky. You know I'd never leave you behind. And besides... I'd never find the kind of body I'm looking for, anyway._

The next diary looked exactly like the rest, but Frisk picked it up and read, a little confused by the last entry. The kind of body that Mettaton had been looking for? Robotic? Male?

_My Darling Diary: I met someone...interesting today. Last week I posted that advertisement for my Human Fanclub. Today was our first meeting. Only one other person came. Honestly, she's a dork. And she's obsessed with these awful cartoons. But she's kind of funny, too... I want to see her again._

Mettaton must have been talking about Alphys. Frisk moved on to the next diary.

_Diary... My dear: My diary collection is going fabulously. I have like five now._

Frisk laughed, moving on to the next and final diary.

_Dear Diary: She surprised me with something today. Sketches of a body that she wants to create for me... A form beyond my wildest fantasies. In a form like that, I could finally feel like... "myself." After all, there's no way I can be a star the way I am now. Sorry, Blooky. My dreams can't wait for anyone..._

Frisk put down the last diary, looking around the room. It was very pink, and looked a bit like a girl's room. A happy room. But the diaries told her something...strange. A form beyond Mettaton's wildest imagination? Where he could feel like himself? Frisk was a little confused, but she was glad that Mettaton had given her the key.

She left the house, laying down in a corner near Napstablook's house and falling asleep.


	14. Nightmare Hospital

Frisk awoke a few hours later, still in the same place, thankfully unharmed. She rubbed sleep from her eyes and stood up, heading back to the Riverperson and riding the ferry back to Hotland. The Riverperson babbled on, but Frisk tuned it out. She had decided something while she was asleep - she would visit Alphys and try to reconcile everything. Frisk wanted to help Alphys, and if that took forgiving her, then she would do it.

The Riverperson stopped the boat at the Hotland stop, and Frisk thanked them profusely before climbing off. She walked up to the Lab, thankfully finding it still unlocked. She stepped inside, everything looking the same from what she could see.

"Alphys?" Frisk called, her hands cupped around her mouth to magnify the sound. "Are you here? I wanted to talk to you!" Frisk didn't hear an answer, so she started exploring. Alphys wasn't upstairs in the living area of the lab, or at her desk, or fixing the hole in the wall that Mettaton had caused when Frisk had first met the ghost robot.

Frisk did find a note on the ground, and she picked it up. It was clearly from Alphys, although it was hard to read. The handwriting was shaky and scratchy, as if Alphys had been upset and in a hurry when she wrote it.

_ Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys... Your support really means a lot to me. But... As difficult as it is to say this... You guys alone can't magically make my own problems go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I want to be clear. This isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again... If you want to know "the truth."  Enter the door to the north of this note. You all at least deserve to know what I did. _

Frisk looked around, searching for a door. She didn't know which way was north, but she only saw one door anywhere close to the note - the bathroom door that was now open. It hadn't been open any of the other times she had been in the lab, but now it looked like it led into a black hole. Cautiously, Frisk put the note down and walked into the open door. It wasn't a bathroom at all, but an elevator. Frisk touched the down button, and the doors slid closed.

The elevator began to descend, and Frisk started to feel nervous. She wiped her hands on her pants and brushed her hair out of her face, a feeling of dread hanging over her. She tapped her foot on the floor, trying not to think what could be waiting beyond the elevator doors. Alphys' dead body? A house of horrors? Flowey? Some huge robot who really  _ did _ have a bloodthirsty program set for human blood? The elevator started flashing red lights and playing an emergency message.

Frisk sat down, covering her head and trying to push her fear aside. She wished someone was with her for this, instead of having her go it alone. The power went out completely as the elevator crashed, leaving Frisk in darkness. Eventually, the elevator doors slid open, letting dim light into the elevator. The doors weren't opened completely, but Frisk stood and stepped carefully through the doors so that she was in the basement of the laboratory.

The hallways in the lab were dark and cold, slightly damp from being so deeply underground. Frisk walked forward, finding a screen stuck in the wall. It seemed to be a journal of some kind. Pulled up on the screen was green text reading  _ ENTRY NUMBER 1. _ Frisk stopped to read it.

_ This is it... Time to do what the King has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the soul. _

Frisk walked on, wondering what the entry had meant. Clearly, Alphys must have wrote it, or at least read it recently if it was still on the screen. Frisk kept her eyes open for more screens, hoping to figure out what had really happened. It seemed that Asgore had asked Alphys to do something, but Frisk wasn't sure what.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 2. The barrier is locked by soul power.. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. Soul power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now... The souls of monsters. _

Frisk swallowed. What had really been going on? In the dark basement of Alphys' lab, Frisk was starting to get a little afraid. She wanted to know what had been happening. Using the souls of monsters? What happened?

_ ENTRY NUMBER 3. But extracting a soul from a living monster would require incredible power... Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the soul's host. And, unlike the persistent souls of humans... The souls of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's soul last... _

What had Alphys done?

_ ENTRY NUMBER 5. I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human souls. I believe this is what gives their souls the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living... The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power... "Determination." _

Frisk swallowed thickly, her soul glowing a little at the word. Determination. She was so determined to help the monsters, to survive this adventure and help them out of the Underground. Was it really what had kept her from dying this whole time? Frisk walked on, coming to a power room. There was a note on the floor, which was hard to make out.

_...elevator...lost power...enter center door... _

Frisk put the note back on the floor and did as the note said, finding another screen pressed into the wall.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 6. Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose... And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their souls persist after they perish, then... Freedom might be closer than we all thought. _

Frisk wasn't sure she wanted to know what had happened, but she also felt like she needed to know. That she deserved to know, if the determination was taken from human souls. Souls like her soul. Queasiness spread through her at the thought of what may have happened in this dark area of Alphys' lab.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 9. things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so I can't get the souls. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do? _

Something in the lab creaked, like a horror game. There were some random noises, all of them rather sinister in the background. A shiver ran down Frisk's spine. What had happened? What had Alphys done? Frisk walked past some operating tables. They looked sticky. More nausea rolled through Frisk's stomach, and she swallowed, trying to focus on finding Alphys.

There was another note in one of the small rooms Frisk found. It was hard to make out, again, but Frisk read what she could before walking out.

_...drain...dropped it... _

Frisk walked back into the room with the operating tables, finding a row of sinks like a hospital would have. Frisk figured that sinks had drains, so she started turning the water on, trying to find whatever Alphys had dropped. A white goopy substance spilled from the last sink, filling it to the brim quickly. A smile floated to the top of the liquid, which looked a bit like Jell-o or melted flesh.

The white goo sprang forward, morphing into a two-headed...mash-up of monsters. There were three of them, with multiple eyes and dripping, broken faces. They begged her to join them, shying away when she pulled out her phone to call for help. No one answered the phone, even though she could hear voices through the reciever. But nobody came to her aid. Frisk refused to join, shaking her head in fear.

"That's a shame. It's a real get together. Lorem ipsum docet," the three melted monsters all said at the same time. They threw melted, broken magic at her, but Frisk avoided it. The monsters didn't really seem to care anymore, and Frisk slowly backed away.

"I won't fight you!" Frisk cried, terror coursing through her veins like blood. The monsters melted away, leaving a red key behind in the sink they had come from. With shaking hands, Frisk picked it up. "What was that?" she asked herself, trying to keep her voice even. It was almost like a fusion, except with only monsters and not Frisk with a monster. The thought made Frisk sick - that someone could be forced to be stuck with someone else.

Frisk went back to the room she had found the note in, putting the key into a keyslot she found in the wall. The little machine blinked a few times, and Frisk walked away quietly, afraid to awaken any more of the nightmarish fusions.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 12. nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination." i want this to work. _

_ ENTRY NUMBER 13. one of the bodies opened its eyes. _

Frisk gulped. She had a feeling that whatever had happened next, it involved the scary, sad fusion she had encountered earlier. The fusion she had met wasn't like one that she could create with Sans or Toriel. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen or...been before. It was permanent, and it wasn't a choice. It was always a  _ choice _ for her to becoming someone else with one of the monsters she had met. Both of them had to choose to become a fusion, whether it was Integrity or Kindness or Justice. There was choice involved. With these fusions, there was no choice.

Frisk swallowed, walking on and collecting keys and fighting more of the fusions. Really, it wasn’t a fight. Their broken, melted magic was easy enough to dodge, although terrifying. Frisk felt like she was going to pull apart, even though she wasn’t fused with anyone at the moment. Her stomach bubbled with nausea at the thought that these forced fusions existed, and Alphys herself had created them. The same person who had been so eager to fuse with her had forced others to do it - others who were nearly dead. It was disgusting.

Through a door, there was a long room full of mirrors and golden flowers. Frisk walked through it, reading the screens on the wall.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 7. We’ll need a vessel to wield the monster souls when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the souls of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human soul… So then… What about something that’s neither human nor monster? _

Frisk looked at the flowers on the table. Were they part of the experiment as well? Were they meant to be a ‘vessel’? Frisk shuddered at the memory of the small yellow flower that had first spoken to her at the beginning of her journey. Flowey. Could he have been a result of Alphys’ experiments, too?

_ ENTRY NUMBER 10. experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn’t seem to be any different from the control cases. whatever. they’re a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won’t let go… _

In a door at the end of the long room of flowers, there was a door to a keyhole. Frisk kept the color in mind and continued her search, determined to find Alphys and get out of the frozen, dead laboratory as quickly as possible. The mission was seeming a little harder than she had expected, though, which wasn’t helping at all. There was a note in the little room, though, which Frisk could barely read.

_...cold… _

Frisk walked on, finding a large bank of fans. She was sure if she turned them on, it might make the lab a little warmer and make it easier to find Alphys. The fans were still and frozen, icy frost collecting on their large blades.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 11. now that mettaton’s made it big, he never talks to me anymore. ...except to ask when i’m going to finish his body. but i’m afraid if i finish his body, he won’t need me anymore… then we’ll never be friends ever again. ...not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty… _

Frisk turned on the fans, their frozen blades creaking to life as they blew warm air in from outside. Hotland was doing one thing for Frisk other than making her dehydrated. Another forced fusion was spat from the blades. It seemed to be dog monsters melted together. Frisk dodged the attacks and tried her best to help, but it made her feel sick to just imagine what being in a forced fusion felt like. Finally, she walked on, down a longer hallway away from the fans.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 15. Seems like this research was a dead end… But at least we got a happy ending out of it…? I sent the souls and the vessel back to Asgore. And I called all of the families and told them everyone’s alive. I’ll send everyone back tomorrow. :) _

Frisk felt like the screen she was reading held false hope. The horror of the lab surrounding her didn’t match the entry at all. Something must have gone terribly wrong.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 16. no No NO NO NO NO NO _

Frisk walked on, finding a room that seemed to be a bathroom. In the tub, there was a key, which she stuffed into her pocket. Frisk walked out quickly, hoping to find Alphys soon in all of this mess. She also wanted to know what had really happened, and wanted to help the forced fusions if she could. But it seemed that more than their souls were melted together. They were stuck that way, as far as Frisk could tell. Their magic, souls, and bodies were fused together. There weren’t separate parts anymore. The thought made Frisk’s heart hurt.

Frisk found a door, which held a television and some bookcases full of VHS tapes. Some of them lay in a pile next to the television, labelled only with numbers. A note lay on the floor, near the door.

_...under...sheets… _

Frisk ignored the note and went to the screen that was pressed into the wall. There was also a keyhole, which she thought she had the key to. Before she read the screen, Frisk pressed the key into the keyhole. It was a perfect fit.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 4. I’ve been researching humans to see if I can find any info about their souls. I ended up snooping around the castle… and found these weird tapes. I don’t feel like Asgore’s watched them… I don’t think he should. _

Curiosity wrapped around Frisk like a cuddly cat, and she walked over to the TV, pressing the first tape into the player and watching intently. It was a black screen, but there was audio. They must have forgotten to take the lens cap off while recording. A familiar voice came to her ears.

_ Psst. Gorey, wake up. _

_ Mmm? What is it, dear? ...er, and why do you have that video camera? _

_ Shush! I want to get your reaction. Gorey, dearest, what is my favorite vegetable? _

_ Hmmm… Carrots, right? _

_ No no no! My FAVORITE vegetable is… Eda-MOM-e. ...get it??? _

_ … Go back to bed, dear. _

_ No no!! Not yet! Hee hee hee. Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be? _

_ Hmm… I don’t know, honey. What kind of dog would you be? _

_ I would be...A MOMERANIAN. _

_ Hohoho! You sure are excited to have this child. You know, if you keep making jokes like this… One day you could be a famous...MOMedian. _

_...Well, I am going to bed. _

_ Hey! Come on, Tori! That one was funny! _

_ Hahahaha, I know. I am just teasing you. _

_ Goodnight, dear. _

_ Goodnight, honey. ...oh dear, perhaps it is too dark in here for the video to come out… _

The tape stopped, and Frisk blinked. Toriel and… Asgore? That’s probably who ‘Gorey’ was. They were having a child? There had been children’s things in the Ruins, but Frisk had thought they were human items, not monster items. Toriel did act like a mom, though. It made sense. Frisk put the second tape in and listened.

_ Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face! AHHHHHH!!! Hee hee hee! Oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on… What?! You’re not gonna do it again? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha! _

That tape only had one voice on it, one much younger than Toriel’s and the other man’s. Could it have been their child? And who was Chara? Frisk was confused. She put the next tape in, listening for more.

_ Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera! Ha, this time I got YOU! I left the cap on… ON PURPOSE! Now you’re smiling for no reason! Hee hee hee! What? Oh, yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for Dad, right? The recipe asked for cups of butter… But we accidentally put in buttercups instead. Yeah! Those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad. We made Mom really upset. I should have laughed it off, like you did… Um, anyway, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera…? Okay. _

The tape ended abruptly. Frisk was starting to recognize the voice, not as if she’d heard it, but as if she knew the person behind it in some way. It was definitely the voice of a child, not an adult. Frisk wondered who it was, and who Chara was. Whoever they were, they didn’t sound like a good person. Frisk shrugged it off, playing the fourth tape.

_ I...I don’t like this idea, Chara. Wh-what? N-no, I’m not… ...big kids don’t cry. Yeah, you’re right. No! I’d never doubt you, Chara… Never! Y… yeah! We’ll be strong! We’ll free everyone. I’ll go get the flowers. _

Frisk swallowed thickly. Fusion. The two were going to try to fuse and break the barrier. How this...Chara...had known about fusion, Frisk had no idea, but these two kids were going to try to fuse together. Frisk had to know how this ended. If they were who she thought they were, Toriel and Asgore’s children, then something had gone terribly wrong if they weren’t with Toriel. And no one mentioned Asgore having children.

_ Chara...can you hear me? We want you to wake up… Chara! You have to stay determined! You can’t give up… You are the future of humans and monsters… _

_ Psst… Chara… please… wake up… I don’t like this plan anymore. I… I… ...no, I said… I said I’d never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six… And we’ll do it together, right? _

Frisk was horrified. The two children had tried to fuse. What happened next was anyone’s guess. But it clearly hadn’t worked, because this Chara person was dying, and the one who spoke sounded terrified. Frisk carefully backed out of the room, scared, her mouth and throat dry.

As she walked on, Frisk found another forced fusion. She dodged it quickly, just wanting to get out of the lab. She wanted to know what had really happened and how she could possibly fix it. How she could stop it from happening again. The forced fusions were scary, and sad in the same way. Frisk walked on to another screen in the wall.

_ DT EXTRACTION MACHINE. STATUS: INACTIVE. _

Carefully, Frisk walked on, hoping to find Alphys soon.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 19. the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don’t even answer the phone anymore. _

Frisk was in a room full of refrigerators. She walked through them, reading screens as she passed. One of the refrigerators shook, making bumping and thumping noises against the tile floor.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 20. Asgore left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me thanks asgore. _

The shaking refrigerator was empty - Frisk checked. She read another screen, hoping to put the puzzle pieces together before she found Alphys.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 21. i spend all my time at the garbage dump now it’s my element _

Frisk walked on, finding another note and a keyhole. Frisk put the key in place and read the note on the floor.

_...curtain… _

Frisk walked back through the room of refrigerators, and as she walked past, one turned into a fusion. This one was just sad. Frisk felt awful as she helped it as best she could. Why had Alphys done this? Why was it all hidden? When she had helped it as much as possible, Frisk moved on, still searching for Alphys. Frisk found the final key, walking on and finding the keyhole.

Frisk walked on, going back to a door that was locked near the entrance of the lab. With all the keys in place, it slid open, showing a hallway that led Frisk further into the lab. The screens in this hallway didn’t work, so Frisk passed them by and walked into the room at the end of the hallway.

In the little room, Frisk found the power for the elevator. Frisk turned it back on, hoping that the power would help her find Alphys. As the power shifted on, fusions poured in through the door, but before they could reach her, Frisk heard a familiar voice.

“Hey! Stop!!!” Alphys cried. The fusions parted, letting the short yellow monster through to Frisk. “I got you guys some food, okay!?” The fusions left, leaving only Alphys and Frisk in the small room. “Sorry about that… They get kind of sassy when they don’t get fed on time. Um!! Anyway! The power went out and I’ve been trying to turn it back on!”

“I know about them, Alphys,” Frisk said. “I know about the fusions that can’t defuse. What was the note about not coming back?”

“I was scared...of telling the truth. I was afraid I would run away or do something...cowardly. Uh...I… suppose I owe you an explanation,” Alphys said, looking at the ground.

“Let’s go upstairs, first. This place is giving me the creeps,” Frisk said, hoping Alphys would lead her out. With a small nod, the lizard-like monster did, hitting buttons on the elevator and letting the two of them ride up in silence.


	15. Same Old World

Frisk sat Alphys down once they got up to the regular part of her lab, a demanding look on the small human’s face. Alphys sighed, fidgeting with her claws as she spoke.

“As you probably know, Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a power I called ‘determination.’ I injected it into dying monsters so their souls would last after death. But the experiment failed. You see, unlike humans, monsters’ bodies don’t have enough… physical matter to take those concentrations of ‘determination.’ Their bodies started to melt, and they lost what physicality they had. Pretty soon, all of the test subjects had melted together into…”

“Fusions.” Frisk could hear the edge in her voice, and the pain. “Forced fusions.”

“Yes, those. Seeing them like this, I knew… I couldn’t tell their families about it. I couldn’t tell anyone about it. No matter how much everyone was asking me. And I was too afraid to do any more work, knowing…”

“Knowing you’d created those. Things.” Frisk was hurt from seeing all of them, the forced fusions. “You’re forcing them to be together. Forcing them to fuse. Like we fused. And they can’t defuse, and they didn’t have a choice to begin with. What have you done, Alphys?”

“I made a mistake,” Alphys admitted meekly. Fire and anger were still burning in Frisk’s eyes. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to tell everyone about this. About what I’ve done. It’s going to be hard. Being honest… Believing in myself… It’ll be hard. But I also have friends I can fall back on.” Alphys paused. “Like you. Thank you, Frisk.”

“Don’t count on me,” Frisk said shortly. “I’m going to save the Underground and release the monsters. That is my plan. But I’m not sure that we’re friends, Alphys. I’m going to find Asgore. Goodbye, Royal Scientist.”

“There’s more to read downstairs,” Alphys said quickly. “Go read it before you leave. You’ll want to know.”

* * *

Frisk was back down in the lab that held the fusions, reading entries on the walls. She wanted to move on, wanted to help the monsters out, but she had to know. She had to know what else Alphys had done. Who else the small yellow monster had hurt.

_ ENTRY NUMBER 8. I’ve chosen a candidate. I haven’t told Asgore yet, because I want to surprise him with it… In the center of his garden, there’s something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder… What happens when something without a soul gains the will to live? _

_ ENTRY NUMBER 18. the flower’s gone. _

Those were the only entries. But when she read them, Frisk thought she knew exactly what they were talking about. The flower at the beginning of her quest, the one that Toriel had saved her from. Flowey. Alphys had created a monster, a murderous thing that had tried to kill her. And then lost it.

Frisk stepped into the elevator, the phone that Toriel had given her ringing. She answered it, hearing a voice she had never heard before.

“Chara… Are you there? It’s been a long time, hasn’t it…? But you’ve done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara… See you soon.” The monster hung up. Chara. They had called Frisk ‘Chara’.

The elevator doors shut, and Frisk felt the elevator shake with motion. The lights were flickering, and blackness surrounded Frisk. Red lights pierced through, but the blackness was what Frisk noticed the most.

* * *

When the blackness left, Frisk found that she had been thrown outside of the elevator. She wasn’t in Alphys’ lab anymore. She wasn’t sure where she was. It was grey, and vines were tangled around the elevator, blocking it. Frisk wasn’t sure how the elevator had worked, then, if the vines were tangled through it, but the Underground was magic, so she didn’t wonder too hard. She stood up, rubbing her eyes and adjusting to the scenery.

A grey path led forward and up, leading her down a new hallway. Frisk followed the path. It led to a hallway where Frisk could look out and see buildings. This must be the capital of the Underground, the place where the palace was. It was colorless. Frisk walked on through corridors, finally coming to a grey house.

It was small, almost an exact copy of Toriel’s house back in the Ruins. Frisk stepped inside, quietly, finding it just as grey inside. Perfect. The steps to the downstairs were chained off, and the only color in the house was golden flowers in pots. Frisk turned, walking towards the bedrooms. If this house was just like Toriel’s, then Frisk knew where everything was.

At the end of the hall, there was a key. But it seemed like the house was abandoned, and monsters were sitting quietly in halls. When Frisk passed them, they stopped her, telling her a story.

“A long time ago, a human fell into the Ruins. Injured by its fall, the human called out for help.” Frisk walked on. It wasn’t her story, she knew that, but she had an idea that it was about the same person who she heard about from the tapes in Alphys’ lab. Frisk took a key that was on a table, stuffing it to her now dormant phone.

Frisk walked into the nearest room, finding it a bedroom. It looked a lot like Toriel’s, but if Frisk thought about it, she could remember that in Tori’s house, this room had been blocked off. Frisk walked back out quickly, feeling like she was invading.

Frisk walked on to the room on the other end of the hall, the one that was in the same place as her own in Toriel’s house. There were two presents in the room, wrapped up like they were meant for someone. But the house was empty. Inside one of the boxes was a worn dagger. Frisk shrunk away. Something about the metal felt wrong, off. There had been a toy dagger that she had found, but that was different. That was plastic, for play. This could kill something. Frisk didn’t pick up the dagger, but moved on to the other box.

Inside the second box, Frisk found a golden heart-shaped necklace. She didn’t know whose it was, but maybe if she could find whose it was, she could give it back to them. Frisk took it out of the box and hooked it around her neck, the latch clicking into place like it was meant to be. With the weight of the locket on her chest, Frisk felt like she could do anything. She wasn’t sure why, or how, but it didn’t seem to matter.

Frisk walked out of the room and towards the kitchen, but another monster interrupted to continue the story from earlier.

“Asriel, the king’s son, heard the human’s call. He brought the human back to the castle.” Frisk nodded and walked into the living room.

“Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings. The King and Queen treated the human child as their own. The Underground was full of hope.”

Frisk moved on into the kitchen, guessing that something had gone wrong. There was another key in the kitchen, and Frisk took it, hoping that the keys would unlock the chains to the downstairs of the house. Frisk went and tried, and thankfully, her guess had been correct. Now that the chain lay on the ground, Frisk stepped over it and headed downstairs, finding everything exactly how it had been at Toriel’s. The only difference was the color.

More monsters were in the tunnel under the house, still stopping Frisk to tell the story.

“Then… One day… The human became very ill.”

“The sick human had only one request. To see the flowers from their village. But there was nothing we could do.”

“The next day. ...The human died.”

“Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human’s soul. He transformed into a being with incredible power.”

“With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier. He carried the human’s body into the sunset. Back to the village of humans.”

Frisk walked on, listening to the monster’s story as she did so. The tunnel was longer and more twisting then Toriel’s had been, but Frisk followed the path and listened. It was all she could do.

“Asriel reached the center of the village. There, he found a bed of golden flowers. He carried the human onto it.”

“Suddenly, screams rang out. The villagers saw Asriel holding the human’s body. They thought that he had killed the child.”

“The humans attacked him with everything they had. He was struck with blow after blow. Asriel had the power to destroy them all.”

“But… Asriel did not fight back. Clutching the human, Asriel smiled and walked away.”

“Wounded, Asriel stumbled home. He entered the castle and collapsed. His dust spread across the garden.”

“The kingdom fell into despair. The King and Queen had lost two children in one night. The humans had once again taken everything from us.”

“The King decided it was time to end our suffering. Every human who falls down here must die. With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever.”

Now this was turning into a threat. Not a story, but a threat. Frisk felt sorry for Asriel, proud of him for loving this human, and sad that he was dead. She would have loved to meet him. Maybe they could have saved the Underground together.

“It’s not long now. King Asgore will let us go. King Asgore will give us hope. King Asgore will save us all.”

Frisk was running at this point, trying to get away. She didn’t want to die. And she certainly didn’t want to be free through death. She wanted to help the monsters, get them back to the surface. Could she even manage it? Was Asgore, whomever he was, really going to kill her? She had heard so many different things, and it was just ending up in fearful anticipation.

The running took Frisk into a hallway that held the first color she had seen since being thrown from the elevator. It was yellow, and it seemed to be empty. Frisk caught her breath and continued on, trying to hold it together.

Blocking the path, close to the end of the corridor, was a monster. It was short, shrouded in shadow, and spoke in a deep voice.

“Do you know what LOVE stands for here in the underground? It stands for ‘Level of Violence.’ LOVE is your capacity to hurt.” The monster stepped forward, and Frisk recognized Sans. Her friend. He was smiling, a proud glint in his eyesockets. “...but you. You never gained any LOVE. ‘Course, that doesn’t mean you’re completely innocent or naive. Just that you kept a certain tenderness in your heart. No matter the struggles or hardships you faced… you strived to do the right thing. You refused to hurt anyone. Even as Justice, you felt bad when it was over. You never gained LOVE, but you gained love.”

“Thanks, Sans,” Frisk said with a smile. Sans’ smile widened.

“You’re about to face the greatest challenge of your entire journey. Your actions here… Will determine the fate of the entire world. If you refuse to fight… Asgore will take your soul and destroy humanity. But if you kill Asgore and go home… monsters will remain trapped in the Underground. What will you do?”

“I’m gonna find another option,” Frisk said. “I’m gonna save everyone. Including myself.”

“If I were you, I would have thrown in the towel a long time ago. But you didn’t get this far by giving up, did you?”

“No, sir,” Frisk said.

“That’s right. You have something called ‘determination.’ So as long as you hold on… as long as you do what’s in your heart… I believe you can do the right thing. And remember, Integrity is just a call and a dance away.” Sans winked. “Good luck, kid. We’re all counting on you.”

Frisk nodded, and when she looked back, Sans was gone. Someday, she would figure out his trick of doing that - and figure out if Integrity could do it, too. But at the moment, she had a king to talk to. Asgore. Frisk walked on.

* * *

Frisk stepped into the throne room, finding color there, too. There was a garden full of golden flowers. A tall monster stood in the middle of it, silently looking at the far wall. He wore a long purple robe, and had long blond hair. It must be Asgore. Quietly, Frisk walked towards the monster. He seemed to be humming, but when Frisk was at the edge of the flowers, he stopped.

“Oh? Is someone there? Just a moment! I have almost finished watering these flowers.” Frisk waited patiently as he finished. “Here we are!” Asgore was a happy-sounding monster, a deep voice that held a king-like air. He turned, facing Frisk. “Howdy! How can I…”

Asgore frowned, backing away a little. Frisk was weaponless, just in her slightly torn clothing and wearing the necklace she had found in the box.

“Oh. ...I so badly want to ask if you’d like a cup of tea. But… You know how it is.” Asgore walked to the window, looking out as if there would be sunshine on the other side. “Nice day today, huh? Birds are singing, flowers are blooming… Perfect weather for a game of catch.”

Frisk couldn’t see meanness in him. She couldn’t see the anger or the fight that everyone had warned her of. All Frisk could see was a kind monster with furry, large hands who was trying to be polite. He had a duty to his people. Part of Frisk wanted to hug him, be his friend. But another part knew that he was going to kill her if she wasn’t careful. It was just his job.

“... You know what we must do. When you are ready, come into the next room.” Asgore walked on, leaving Frisk on the edge of the flowers. She took a deep breath, leaning down to touch the golden flowers. She was sure there had been a flower bed of them outside of the orphanage, back on the Surface. Frisk sighed, standing up and walking around the flowers. Whether or not she was ready, it was time.

As she stepped out of the throne room, Frisk noticed that there was another throne, hidden in the corner, covered with a white sheet. Like the king was waiting for his queen to return. Frisk felt her heart ache a little for the big monster. Undyne was right, he was a big softie. Frisk tore her eyes away and continued into the next room. It looked like the place where she had fallen, looked like the start of her adventure.

“How tense…” Asgore said. He looked tired. He looked sad. “Just think of it like… A visit to the dentist.” Asgore looked down and walked on. After a moment, Frisk followed.

“Are you ready?” Asgore asked. “If you are not, I understand. I am not ready either.” Asgore disappeared into the archway. Frisk sighed and followed.

* * *

“This is the barrier. This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If...if by chance you have any unfinished business… Please do what you must.” Asgore was slow, and sad. Frisk watched the barrier dance around him, white and black fading into each other. Frisk could feel the magic, feel it crackling against her skin.

“I’m ready, King,” Frisk said quietly.

“I see. This is it, then.” Asgore turned around and faced Frisk, his back to the strong magic of the barrier. “Ready?” Frisk nodded, and strange light filled the room. It was twilight, shining through the barrier.

“Human… It was nice to meet you,” Asgore said. There was a sad smile on his large face. “Goodbye.” Asgore knelt his head. The golden locket around Frisk’s neck gleamed in the strange light. As she prepared herself to be attacked, Frisk saw a ball of fire magic flicker to life next to the large monster. It threw itself into Asgore, pushing him aside.

Toriel walked into Frisk’s line of sight. Her large eyes held concern for Frisk, and all Frisk wanted to do was run up and give the monster a hug.

“What a miserable creature, torturing such a poor, innocent youth… Do not be afraid, my child. It is I, Toriel, your friend and guardian.” Frisk grinned, and Tori stepped a little closer. “At first, I thought I would let you make your journey alone… But I could not stop worrying about you. And Kindness. Your adventure must have been so treacherous.”

Frisk sighed, sitting down. Toriel wasn’t wrong, it had been treacherous.

“This adventure has left you with a terrible decision. And as awful as Asgore may be, I cannot allow you to take his life to escape. He deserves mercy, as well.” Asgore crawled back up, staring up at Toriel. They were the same type of monster, Frisk could see it very clearly now.

“Tori… You came back…!” Asgore said. Toriel turned, giving him a stern look.

“Do not ‘Tori’ me, Dreemurr! You pathetic whelp. If you really wanted to free our kind… You could have gone through the barrier after you got one soul… taken six souls from the humans… and then freed everyone peacefully. But instead, you made everyone live in despair because you would rather wait here, meekly hoping another human never comes.”

“Tori… You’re right. I am a miserable creature. But do you think we can at least be friends again?”

Toriel sighed. Frisk wasn’t sure she had ever seen the monster like this, anger coursing through her skin like the magic she used.

“No, Asgore.” Before Toriel could say anymore, Undyne burst in, screaming.

“Ngahhhh! Asgore! Human! Nobody fight each other! Everyone’s gonna make friends, or else I’ll… I’ll…!” Undyne couldn’t think of what to say, so Toriel interrupted.

“Hello. I am Toriel. Are you the human’s friend? It is nice to meet you.”

“Uh, yeah? It’s nice to meet you, too!”

Next was Alphys, as Undyne whispered something to Asgore. Asgore blushed and flinched, so Frisk was sure that it was about Toriel.

“H-hey! N-nobody hurt each other!”

“Oh! Are you another friend?” Toriel asked. Alphys nodded nervously. “I am Toriel. Hello!” Frisk was starting to think that Toriel had little to no social skills after having lived alone in the Ruins for so long.

Papyrus burst in next, yelling all of his words, as usual. He sounded very much like an important skeleton, which Frisk was sure that he would love to be told.

“Hey! Nobody fight anybody! If anyone fights anyone…! Then I’ll be forced to ask Undyne for help!”

“Hello!” Toriel said brightly.

“Oh! Hello, your majesty!” Papyrus said. Frisk had no idea what he was talking about until he asked Frisk quietly if Asgore had shaved and cloned himself. She rolled her eyes, but before Frisk could answer, Sans walked in, his hands in his coat pockets.

“Hey, what’s up?” he asked.

“That voice!” Toriel said, racing down towards Sans. “Hello, I think we may… know each other?”

“Oh, hey… I recognize your voice, too.”

“I am Toriel. So nice to meet you.”

“The name’s Sans. And uh, same.”   
“Oh, wait! Then, this must be your brother, Papyrus,” Toriel said, motioning to Papyrus. He grinned, his eyesockets lighting up. “Greetings, Papyrus! It is so nice to finally meet you! Your brother has told me so much about you.”

“Wowie! I can’t believe Asgore’s clone knows who I am! This is the best day of my life!”

Toriel laughed, telling Papyrus a joke. The whole group of monsters were talking, and Frisk watched in awe. Friendship. Love. It was clear that Undyne and Alphys liked each other, even if the other was oblivious. Toriel quietly told Frisk that she may have to stay for a while, but looking at the friends she had, Frisk didn’t really mind. Alphys turned to Papyrus.

“Wait, Papyrus… If you called everyone here… I got here before you, how did you know to call everyone here?”

“Let’s just say a tiny flower told me,” Papyrus answered with a large smile. Alphys swallowed, her eyes widening in fear.

“A tiny...flower?” Alphys asked, her voice shaking. A vine reached around the six monsters, tying them up and pulling them off their feet. The small flower, golden and bright, emerged from the ground. Flowey.

“You idiots. While you guys were having your little pow-wow… I took the human souls. And now, not only are those under my power, but all your friend’s souls will be mine, too.” Flowey laughed, and Frisk felt fear run through her. “And you know what the best part is? It’s all your fault. It’s all because you made them love you. All the time you spent listening to them… Encouraging them… Caring about them… Without that, they wouldn’t have come here. And now, with their souls and the human souls, I will achieve my real form.”

“What real form?” Frisk asked, fear in her voice. Flowey just laughed. “Why do you keep doing this?”

“It’s just a game. If you leave the Underground satisfied, you ‘win’ the game. And if you ‘win’, you won’t want to ‘play’ with me anymore. And what would I do then? But this game between us will never end. I will keep you here. Even if I have to kill you a million times.”

Magic bullets surrounded Frisk, flying at her from every direction. She couldn’t move. The magic hit her, and she felt warm blood flow down her skin. Frisk was being hit over and over, but then a wall of fire magic surrounded her, driving the other magic away.

“What?” Flowey asked. From her place in the vines, Toriel spoke.

“Do not be afraid, my child. No matter what happens, we will be here to protect you.” The rest of the monsters agreed, helping Frisk fight away Flowey’s magic with their own. They were all encouraging her as she stood, facing all of them with determination running through her veins.

More monsters came in, encouraging Frisk. Flowey was getting frustrated, it was clear in his voice as he shouted.

“No! Unbelieveable! This can’t be happening! You… You… I can’t believe you’re all so stupid. All of your souls are mine!” The world was shaking, and the barrier surrounded the whole room in a bright white light. Frisk couldn’t see.

* * *

When the white light disappeared, everyone was gone. Everything was black. The only thing that stood before Frisk was a small monster in a striped shirt. The monster wasn’t facing her, and it had white fur and long ears, like Toriel and Asgore. The little monster laughed a little bit as it looked around.

“Finally. I was so tired of being a flower.” The little monster turned around. “Howdy! Chara, are you there? It’s me, your best friend.” Frisk blinked, and the monster was now in royal robes, flying and looking terribly powerful. Black lines streaked through his white fur, and his eyes were no longer a bright green as they had been. “Asriel Dreemurr.”

Frisk couldn’t hide her gasp. The monster who had died, who had been best friends with the first human. Asriel. And now he was here. He had been trapped inside a flower the whole time.

Asriel hit Frisk with everything that he had, but Frisk held on to the one thing she had dreamed of since meeting Toriel. Freeing the monsters. They didn’t deserve to die in the Underground, they didn’t deserve to be trapped. Frisk held on as she took attack after attack.

Asriel was rambling on about some timeline reset, but Frisk didn’t pay attention. He wasn’t thinking straight. Frisk fought back by dodging and dreaming and hoping and praying that she could win. That she could save everyone, including this poor little monster who had been stuck inside a soulless flower for far too long.

Asriel changed forms, became something akin to an angel, his wings transforming with colors and patterns every time they moved. Frisk couldn’t move her body, and she wanted to cry, but she kept holding on. She refused to fight. In a fever of desperation, Frisk shouted as loud as she could.

“I don’t want to fight you! I want to save you! I want to save everyone!” Frisk reached out, using the power and warmth she felt in her when she was fusing with a monster. She reached out to Asriel, trying to find her friends inside of his soul.

A lost soul came out, the face blurred with magic. But Frisk recognized the ponytail flying out, its color blurred by Asriel’s magic. It was Undyne. Frisk fake punched at her, asked her how to cook, clashed against her, anything to make her remember who she was. The magic slipped from her face, revealing Undyne’s grin.

“Justice?” she asked. Frisk shook her head. Undyne nodded. “Okay. Go get ‘em, human.”

Another lost soul appeared, this one shorter and yellow under the blurred magic. Alphys. Frisk asked her trivia, about her favorite anime, about the fusions, as much as she could think of. The magic fell away, and Alphys appeared.

Frisk kept saving her friends, kept pulling monsters out of the abyss. Sans, and Papyrus, and Toriel. Finally, Frisk even managed to pull Asgore out. Standing with her friends around her, Frisk felt even stronger than before. But she had to save them all. That was the point. That was her goal, from the very beginning. Once she had met Toriel, seen that they were all trapped, Frisk had wanted to help. Now, she finally could, and she refused to fail now.

Frisk reached out one last time. This was what she needed to to.

“Asriel!” Frisk called. And suddenly, the monster was crying. He was calling Frisk ‘Chara’, saying how he didn’t want her to leave. If hugging him wouldn’t have killed her, Frisk would have done so in a heartbeat. Even in a superpowered, terrifying form, Asriel looked sad and broken.

Finally, Asriel became himself again. A small little monster, crying. Frisk raced over, giving him a big hug.

“I’m so sorry,” Asriel said. “I’ve always been a crybaby, huh, Chara?” Asriel sniffled, wiping his eyes, and Frisk let him go. “But you’re not really Chara, are you? What is your name?”

“Frisk,” Frisk answered. Asriel smiled.

“That’s a nice name.” Asriel started to ramble, but Frisk shushed him.

“It’s okay. I forgive you.”

“What?”

“I forgive you,” Frisk said again.

“Thank you,” Asriel said. “I can’t stay like this forever. I have to give the souls back. But with everybody’s power… With all of their determination… I can break the barrier.” Asriel didn’t ask for permission. He lifted his arms and touched the crackling magic, and Frisk watched it shatter. Bright white light covered everything again, and when it faded, everyone was back.

Everyone except Asriel.

* * *

"Are you ready to go to the surface, my child?” Toriel asked. The adult monsters had been discussing things, and they had decided to release the monsters back to the surface. To the above ground. To Frisk’s old life. Frisk wanted to say yes, but she thought about Asriel. He was still around, somewhere. He had to be.

“No,” Frisk said. “I have to do something first.” Frisk pulled away from the monsters, breaking into a dead run towards the river-person. When she got there, she jumped on. “As close to the Ruins as you can get me, please,” Frisk said. The river-person just nodded, setting off. When they got to Snowdin, Frisk thanked the river-person and raced through the thick snow towards the door to the Ruins. It was open, probably from Toriel coming to the barrier.

Frisk slipped through and ran, back through Toriel’s house, back through the puzzles that kept people out, and towards where she had fallen down. When she got there, she was out of breath. But there was Asriel, standing where she had first met Flowey.

“Asriel! I can save you, too!” Frisk said, trying to catch her breath.

“I’ll turn into a flower soon enough, Frisk,” Asriel said. “I won’t have a soul anymore. I won’t be myself.”

“But I can fix that,” Frisk said. “You have a soul right now. And I can fuse with monsters. Let me save you!”

“Fuse?”

“I’ll have to show you, there’s no time to explain,” Frisk said. She reached out her hand, and by some good faith that still existed in his heart, Asriel reached his out, too. The moment they touched, Frisk’s soul glowed bright red. Asriel’s glowed bright green. Both of them blinked, Frisk in surprise, and Asriel in awe.

When they opened their eyes, they were Love. There wasn’t Frisk, or Asriel. Just Love. The name was immediate, the name was perfect. Frisk couldn’t look at Asriel, and Asriel couldnt’ look at Frisk. But Love could speak.

“What is this? Fusion. Fusion? Two souls, one body. Love. Love. Love. I have to get you out of here, we have to get out. Come on. Love. Asriel. Frisk. Love.”

Love set off at a run, hopping back on the boat once they were in Snowdin. The river-person didn’t even question it, just set off and wished them luck. Love reached the broken barrier, a grin on their face.

“Where’s Frisk? Where’s Asriel?” Toriel asked. Love looked at them with glassy sea eyes, ones that mixed blue and green almost perfectly.

“No. Love.” Love smiled, taking Toriel’s hand. “Surface.”


End file.
